Anoka County board fails to suspend rules after chair raises conduct concerns; meeting adjourns

The Anoka County Board of Commissioners voted 4–3 on July 29 against a motion to suspend its rules so the board could consider alleged disrespectful conduct by a commissioner during a July 8 Committee of the Whole meeting. After the failed motion the board had no further business and adjourned.

The chair of the county board said the board has "a shared expectation that all County employees and officials conduct themselves with politeness, respect and professionalism," and said a "specific gesture" at the July 8 meeting "did not reflect the values we strive to uphold." The chair opened the matter by asking for a motion to suspend the rules to permit further action.

Commissioner Meissner moved to suspend the rules; Commissioner Schulte seconded the motion. The motion to suspend the rules was put to a roll-call vote and failed 4–3. Because the attempt to suspend the rules failed, the chair said the board would need to place the matter on a future agenda if members wished to proceed, and with "nothing else to come before the county board" the meeting was adjourned.

The vote count on the motion to suspend rules was recorded in the meeting as 4 in favor and 3 opposed. The meeting transcript does not provide a resolved list of which commissioners voted in each column that reconciles with the final numerical count, so the record below lists the outcome and the recorded final tally as announced at the meeting.