Sherwood City Council deletes rule allowing mayor to "participate in debate," limits public comment to agenda items

Sherwood City Council on Jan. 27 voted to amend its rules of procedure to delete a line that read, in part, "the mayor may participate in debate," and to remove an open-ended public‑comment section so public remarks will be limited to agenda items.

Councilmember Broderick moved the amendment to delete the sentence; the motion was seconded by Councilmember Burrows and passed unanimously. "I'd like to make a motion to amend the rules as presented with deleting the 1 line in the procedure paragraph that reads the mayor may participate in debate, etcetera," Broderick said when introducing the motion.

The change follows a months‑long internal discussion about the mayor’s role in council meetings. Supporters said the deletion returns the rules to their traditional, quiet wording and reflects that legislative debate should be among voting councilmembers. Councilmember Brooks said she favored returning "to the way it used to be," noting that in her experience mayors rarely need to cast votes and that discussion on votes typically occurs among councilmembers.

Opponents and others urged caution about constraining the mayor’s ability to provide factual information. City Attorney Bridal (city legal counsel) told the council that state law designates the mayor as the ex officio president and presiding officer of the council, and that the council cannot enact rules that would conflict with that statutory role. "In a mayor–council form of government, the mayor shall be the ex officio president of the city council and shall preside at its meetings," Bridal said during the discussion.

Councilmembers also voted to remove a section that allowed open‑ended public comment at the end of meetings. Instead, public comment will be limited to topics that appear on the published agenda; residents may still submit items by email or request placement on a future agenda. Supporters said the change matches practices seen in nearby municipalities and limits off‑topic comments during general business meetings. Critics said the intent should not be to silence citizens and emphasized that residents can still submit items for a future agenda and contact councilmembers directly.

The motion to amend the rules and the motion to adopt the rules as amended each passed on roll call with unanimous votes. The council also adopted remaining housekeeping and procedural language at the same meeting.