2.04.020 Meetings

A. Regular Meetings. The regular business sessions of the Council are on the first and third Tuesday of each month unless otherwise arranged. The Mayor may cancel a regular meeting or study session meeting of the City Council in recognition of the meeting’s in-week calendar proximity with a national or City-observed holiday and with concurrence by the City Manager that the cancellation will not unduly delay the conducting of City business or impede city operations. The following meetings will be considered cancelled annually unless scheduled by the Mayor or City Manager as necessary for the timely conducting of City business or to meet City operational necessities: (1) the first meeting of the new calendar year and accompanying study session for a winter or new year start break; (2) the first meeting in July and accompanying study session for the Independence Day community celebration; and (3) the first meeting of September and accompanying study session for a summer or school year start break. Regular meetings will normally begin at 6:00 p.m. but may begin up to sixty (60) minutes earlier to accommodate executive sessions. Meetings are required to end no later than 9:30 p.m., except in the following circumstance:

1. If a motion or any amendment to a motion has been made and has been seconded, if a second is required, deliberation on the motion shall be allowed to continue until no later than 9:40 p.m., at which time deliberation shall end; and any amendments to the motion and the motion itself shall be voted upon immediately and without further deliberation or debate and without passage of a motion to end debate.

B. Special Meetings. A special meeting may be called either by the Mayor or two (2) members of the Council. Notice of the time and place of such special meeting and the subjects to be acted upon shall be delivered to all members of the Council at least seventy-two (72) hours in advance of the time of the meeting, except in the case of an emergency, and the Council may consider and act only upon such matters as contained in the notice.

1. Study sessions are for Council members to receive background information and recommendations from staff or invitees with expertise on City business; to ask questions, discuss options, express their individual views on matters that may be voted on in subsequent regular or special meetings; and to provide guidance to staff. The Council may vote in study sessions on guidance to staff concerning matters to be presented to Council for decision at subsequent meetings. By consensus, the Council also may direct staff to take action on other matters that do not require Council decision by ordinance or resolution. No particular cases involving quasi-judicial decisions may be discussed at study sessions.

2. Each study session shall include up to a total of fifteen (15) minutes for public forum, in which persons may speak about any topic on the agenda for that study session. Persons wishing to speak during public forum are to submit a “speaker request form” to the City Recorder.

3. Study sessions shall begin at 5:30 p.m. on the day before each regular meeting unless otherwise arranged, but shall not be held on national holidays. The City Manager will reschedule study sessions cancelled due to national or City-observed holidays on the following Wednesday of the same week if necessary for the timely conducting of City business. The Mayor or two (2) Councilors may call a study session at any time with not less than seventy-two (72) hours’ advance notice.

1. All meetings of the City Council shall be held in open sessions, except meetings that may be closed for those purposes specified in the Oregon Public Meetings Law (ORS 192.610 through 192.690). These purposes include, but are not limited to, the employment and dismissal of public employees, the performance evaluation of the City Manager and City Attorney, labor negotiations, real property transaction negotiations, and consulting with legal counsel on pending or threatened litigation. At any time during an executive session, a Councilor who feels a matter under consideration should be addressed exclusively in open session may state a point of order, which shall be ruled upon in the executive session as set forth in AMC 2.04.040.C.4.b(1).

2. Notice of executive sessions shall be given as required by State law and such notice must state the specific provision of law authorizing the session. The Mayor and City Councilors will act in accordance with State law regarding confidentiality of information discussed in executive sessions.

3. At the commencement of each executive session, the presiding officer must state on the record that executive session information is confidential and may not be reported. The proceedings may be reported if no such statement is made.

E. Emergency Meetings. The City Manager is responsible for implementation of the emergency management plan. When the City Manager determines that a state of emergency exists, the City Manager will make a declaration to that effect and will request that the Mayor call an emergency meeting of the Council in order to ratify the declaration of emergency. The emergency meeting of the Council will occur as soon as possible after the declaration of emergency. A quorum of the Council may not be possible due to emergency circumstances and is not required for this emergency meeting. Notwithstanding the advance notice requirements in subsections B, D and F of this section, notice of the emergency meeting can be made in the most expedient manner as determined by the City Manager and need not be seventy-two (72) hours in advance, but notice of the emergency special meeting must be given at least twenty-four (24) hours in advance if feasible. In any case, minutes of any emergency meeting must meet the requirements of ORS 192.640(3) and 192.650.

F. Notice of Meetings. Advance notice of at least seventy-two (72) hours shall be provided for all meetings, except for emergency meetings. Notice shall be sent to a newspaper with general local circulation and posted prominently on the City’s website. In the case of an emergency or when a state of emergency has been declared, public notice appropriate to the circumstances shall be provided and reasons justifying the lack of seventy-two (72) hours’ notice shall be included in the minutes of such meeting. (Ord. 3224, replaced, 07/18/2023)