Council rejects ordinance to create regular standing work sessions after second reading

The Georgetown City Council voted against adopting a proposed ordinance to create a standing council work session after a second-reading vote on Feb. 3, 2025.

Councilmember Sonja Wilkins Brent introduced the ordinance as an item sponsors and argued it would “give the council more times for discussion between meetings.” Brent moved to postpone the second reading indefinitely; that motion failed on a roll-call vote. City Attorney Emily explained the effect of postponement and the procedural options available, telling the council, “if you choose to postpone it indefinitely, I think it would take, like, a two-thirds vote of you all to bring it back.”

After debate over process and open-meeting requirements, a motion to adopt the ordinance on second reading was called and the clerk conducted a roll-call vote. The clerk recorded votes from councilmembers; the final count on the adoption motion was 2 in favor and 6 opposed, and the ordinance did not pass.

Nut graf: The failed ordinance would have formalized a recurring work-session item to give councilmembers a publicly noticed forum for extended discussion outside the regular agenda. Supporters said it would create predictable time for deliberation; opponents and several councilmembers said existing special-called meetings and expanded agenda discussion were sufficient and that the proposed ordinance made it difficult to bring the idea back without a two-thirds vote.

In the meeting, councilmembers debated process as much as substance. Several members said the last full meeting’s extended public discussion had been productive and could be repeated by scheduling special meetings as needed. Emily, the city attorney, clarified process options repeatedly and warned that postponing the ordinance indefinitely would require a supermajority to bring it back later and would restart the ordinance process.

Outcome and next steps: The ordinance was not adopted. Councilmembers who still want a standing discussion forum said they will pursue alternatives — including placing more council discussion time on regular agendas or bringing a revised draft for future consideration. The council asked staff to coordinate drafting any replacement procedures and to circulate a municipal order or ordinance draft for the council to review before the next meeting.

Ending: The failure leaves the city operating under its existing practice: special-called meetings and expanded “new business” discussion rather than a permanent standing work-session item.