In the last column, we discussed the various types of sessions in which local government boards and councils perform their work. Now let’s take a look at their regular legal meetings. Again, what’s here are common practices. The meeting you walk into may be different.
Indiana’s Open Door law requires public posting of the agenda for the meeting at least two business days prior. No two bodies handle agendas quite the same way, but they all set out the flow of the meeting. Items on an agenda can be as vague as “Personnel” or as specific as “Approve purchase of popcorn machine for concession stand.” Once the meeting is underway, agendas flow through a series of sections, from approval of minutes to old business (things the body has already discussed publicly), to new business, personnel issues, financial issues, approval of contracts and other documents – it’s a long list of possibilities and often a long list of items.
Many government bodies have adopted what’s known as a consent agenda to speed up their meetings. Our typical legal meeting might involve needing to take action on 20 to 30 individual items. More than half of those items involved routine business, like approving the previous meeting’s minutes and giving the treasurer permission to pay employees. So rather than slog our way through all those individual action items, we’d bundle the routine ones into a consent agenda and approve it with a single motion and vote.
You’ll notice that elected officials are sticklers for beginning at precisely 7:00 p.m. (or whenever the meeting is scheduled). That’s because Indiana’s Open Door law speaks specifically to starting meetings on time so as not to inconvenience you. Most government bodies open with the Pledge, often led by a Scout who’s working on a merit badge. Some have a prayer at the beginning.
Many boards invite comments from the community at this stage of the meeting, while others allow comments toward the end. Some do both. Commenters are usually expected to state their name and address (essentially verifying they’re local residents) and to direct their remarks to the board and not anyone else in the room. They may also be asked to sign a document acknowledging the rules for the comment process (such as time limits for individuals).
While most government meetings claim to use Robert’s Rules as the basis for their proceedings, it’s more accurate to say most procedures have been developed through local tradition … although they may be flavored with a little Robert’s Rules. Agenda items must have a motion and second before the body can discuss or vote upon them.
Sit in any number of local government meetings and one thing you’re sure to notice is that most votes are unanimous. Can’t these people think on their own? Do they lack a conscience? Like I said earlier, most of what’s on the agenda is matters of routine. And if the board is an effective one, they trust the body’s employees to do what needs to get done. When you start seeing a lot of 3-2 votes, you’ve got a board that’s either dysfunctional and ineffective, or headed that way quickly. Unanimity is not necessarily a bad thing.