Barberton council committees back rule changes to add consent agenda, alter charter-review path and formalize recording policy

Barberton City Council committees spent substantial time Sept. 8 debating proposed changes to the council rules that would add a consent agenda, change how charter amendments are routed through committees and formalize policies for recording and live-streaming meetings.

The proposal would let a committee chair “motion each request to be placed on a consent agenda with a unanimous vote from his or her committee,” according to committee language circulated at the meeting. Under the draft, any legislative item placed on a consent agenda would be read individually into the record but then enacted together “by one motion and one roll call” unless a council member or a member of the public requested separate consideration.

Why it matters: Supporters said the change would speed routine…