June 24, 2013 by Byron Katsuyama
Category: Legislative Body

City council or county council/commission meetings and public hearings provide the settings for councils and commissions to discuss and develop key policies and make important legislative and quasi-judicial decisions. A smoothly-managed and productive council or commission meeting in the right setting does not necessarily guarantee good results, but it certainly helps. MRSC maintains a webpage on Council/Commission Meetings and Public Hearings with information, advice, and examples you can use to plan and conduct more efficient and productive public meetings and hearings. I recently updated this webpage adding several new resources, including a new legal references section, more information on meeting minutes, and several new items providing guidance and inspiration on planning and conducting more efficient and productive meetings.

Legal References

The new legal references section simply provides links to several relevant statutory provisions relating to council meetings and public hearings for easy reference:

• RCW 35.23.270–City council–Quorum–Rules–Journal, etc. (Second Class Cities)
• RCW 35.27.280–Town council–Quorum–Rules–Journal (Towns)
• RCW 35A.12.110–Council Meetings (Mayor-Council Plan)
• RCW 35A.12.120–Council–Quorum–Rules–Voting (Mayor-Council Plan)
• RCW 35A.12.160–Public Notice of Hearings and Meeting Agendas (Mayor-Council Plan)
• RCW 35A.13.170–Council–Quorum–Rules–Voting (Council-Manager Plan)
• RCW 36.32.080–Regular Meetings (Counties)
• RCW 36.32.090–Special Meetings (Counties)

   

• RCW 36.32.140–Record of Proceedings (Counties)
• Ch. 42.30 RCW–Open Public Meetings Act
• RCW 42.30.080–Special Meetings
• RCW 42.30.110–Executive Sessions
• RCW 42.32.030–Minutes

Sample City Council Rules of Procedure Relating to Meeting Minutes

Here are some links to city council rules of procedure documents that include sections relating to meeting minutes, including a sample resolution adopting a policy for “action minutes” from the city of Port Townsend:

• City of Port Townsend City Council Rules of Procedure–Section 1.13–City Clerk– Minutes
• Port Townsend Resolution 98-044–Establishing a policy of action minutes for the city council
• City of Puyallup City Council Rules–Section 2.2–Meeting Minutes
• City of Olympia Council Guidebook–Section 3.19–Meeting Minutes
• City of Tumwater City Council Rules of Procedure–Section 2.6–Minutes
• City of Tacoma City Council Rules of Procedure–Rule 11–City Clerk–Duties–(C) Prepare Minutes; (D) Verbatim Transcript
• City of Vancouver Policy and Procedure Manual–No. 100-32–City Council Meetings–Section 5.5–Recording Proceedings

Sample Meeting Minutes

If you are curious to see how other cities record and publish their meeting minutes, take a look at these council meeting minute archive pages:

• Tumwater City Council Minutes
• Richland City Council Minutes
• SeaTac Council Meeting Minutes Archive
• Monroe Council Minutes
• Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners Minutes
• Mason County Board of Commissioners Minutes
• King County Council Minutes

Public Meetings and Hearings—Guidance and Inspiration

These new resources offer advice on dealing with disruptive behavior and making meetings more productive, civil, and citizen-friendly:

• Get your Meetings Back on Track, Institute for Local Government, 04/2013–What options do local officials have for reducing disruptions and disruptiveness? The ideas and resources in this article may be helpful in efforts to address these problems.
• Understanding the Role of Chair, Institute for Local Government–A key element of the success of any meeting is the approach and skills of the meeting chair. This tip sheet offers ideas on how to perform this task with skill and grace.
• Tips for Promoting Civility at Public Meetings, Institute for Local Government, 12/2011
• Planning Public Forums: Questions to Guide Local Officials, Institute for Local Government, 2007
• Strategies for Creating a More Collaborative, Effective Council, Western City, September 2011
• The Rituals of Public Meetings, Public Administration Review, January-February, 2010
• A Visual Guide to Bad Community Meetings, Nate Berg, The Atlantic Cities, August 15, 2012
• Making a Game Out of Town Hall Meetings, Brandon Reynolds, The Atlantic Cities, April 17, 2012
• Getting the Most out of Public Hearings, Institute for Local Government, 2005–This pamphlet offers practical ideas to maximize the effectiveness of public hearings.

Additional References

Here are a few more links to resources on meetings and public hearings:

• Public Meetings Resource Center, Institute for Local Government, California State Association of Counties and the League of California Cities
• Jurassic Parliament, Resources on using Robert’s Rules of Order, Meeting Management, Leadership, and more.

California’s Institute for Local Government has an extensive collection of information on public meetings. The Jurassic Parliament site is managed by Ann Macfarlane, one of MRSC’s long-time Council/Commission Advisors. The MRSC Inquiries page offers answers to questions that MRSC’s consultant staff has responded to on issues relating to meetings and public hearings.

Related Pages

Finally, as part of this update, I also added a few new resources to our Council Meeting Agendas webpage:

• Sample Council Rules of Procedure for Agenda Preparation
• Sample Meeting Agendas

Does your city/county have, or are you aware of, any more useful information resources and/or examples to share relating to public meetings and hearings? Please email links or sample documents to Byron Katsuyama, Public Policy and Management Consultant, MRSC.

MRSC is a private nonprofit organization serving local governments in Washington State. Eligible government agencies in Washington State may use our free, one-on-one Ask MRSC service to get answers to legal, policy, or financial questions.