Council committee adopts 24‑hour amendment deadline for committee and council business; second change on non‑committee sponsorship fails

The Governance, Accountability and Economic Development Committee on July 24 recommended adoption of a revised set of council rules that adds a 24‑hour advance deadline for circulating amendments before committee and council meetings. The committee also considered, but did not adopt, a separate change to allow non‑committee members to circulate amendment language without a committee member sponsor.

Supporters said the 24‑hour rule would reduce last‑minute walk‑on amendments that central staff, the city clerk and the law department must vet on short notice. Councilmember Bob Kettle, sponsor of the amendment, told colleagues that “the walk‑ups and then the amendments on amendments are not productive,” and that a standardized deadline would allow better review and give the public time to see proposed changes before a meeting.

Ben Noble, central staff director, told the committee the change amends three rules — the current city council rule 3(a)(8) and corresponding standing‑committee and select‑committee rules (described in committee as rules 6(h)(4) and 7(g)(4)) — extending the existing two‑hour deadline to 24 hours for circulation to council members, the central staff director and the city clerk. Deputy city attorney Emilia (last name not provided in the record) explained that the rule is self‑governing: if a member needs to bring a same‑day amendment the body can still suspend the rule, and suspending a council rule requires two‑thirds of members present.

Councilmember Rivera raised procedural concerns about unintended consequences for members who discover the need for an amendment the morning of a meeting; Noble and legal staff said the body’s parliamentary options (suspending the rule or moving to hold a bill) provide exceptions when a same‑day change is necessary.

The committee approved the 24‑hour amendment (Amendment 1) on a roll call that recorded two abstentions and three votes in favor; it rejected a second amendment (Amendment 2) that would have allowed non‑committee members to submit amendment text without a committee sponsor. Kettle said Amendment 2 was intended to encourage working out amendments in committee rather than presenting them for the first time at full council; opponents argued committee members should retain the discretion to sponsor or deny a non‑member’s proposed changes because committee members have the most context on the legislation under review.

The committee then recommended adoption of the full rules package as amended. The committee moved to send the resolution to full council for final consideration on July 29, and the chair noted the council rules requirement to suspend rules because the committee vote happened after 1 p.m. on Thursday. The measure will appear on the July 29 City Council agenda for final action.

Votes and next steps: Amendment 1 (24‑hour circulation) was adopted in committee (roll call recorded: Councilmember Solomon — Aye; Councilmember Kettle — Aye; Councilmember Hollingsworth — Aye; Councilmember Rivera — Abstain; Chair Sarah Nelson — Abstain). Amendment 2 (non‑committee circulation without sponsorship) failed in committee (recorded: Kettle — Aye; Rivera — Abstain; Solomon — No; Hollingsworth — Abstain; Chair Nelson — No). The committee approved the rules package as amended and will forward it to full council for final consideration on July 29.