Council delays vote on proposed rules changes, orders consolidated draft for next work session

Lynchburg City Council voted on Aug. 26 to table and consolidate proposed changes to the council’s rules of procedure and to consider a single consolidated document at the next work session on Sept. 23, 2025. The motion passed 6-1; Councilmember Feraldi voted no.

The proposal under discussion originated with Councilmember Timmer, who said the changes are intended to reduce arbitrary enforcement and to protect council members’ ability to speak. "Fairness is the cornerstone of civility," Timmer said, and she urged rules that give a member who is accused of impropriety "an opportunity to respond before the end of the meeting." Timmer also proposed written notice requirements for resignations and a formal, documented process for motions to censure with time to prepare a response.

Opponents and other council members pressed different concerns. Councilmember Feraldi said the package as written would allow unlimited floor time and amounted to a potential filibuster; he told the council he did not consent to tabling without more discussion. Councilmember Reed and others warned that some language in Timmer’s draft could be subjective and difficult to interpret, and asked for clearer wording and a staff/legal review. City Attorney Friedman described the draft as a substantive shift in emphasis from the existing rules, which are oriented toward "efficiency and timeliness," to a focus on broader free-speech protections.

After discussion the council directed staff to consolidate the various proposals (Timmer’s draft, previously circulated staff recommendations and amendments members submitted) into a single document and deliver it to council at least two weeks before the Sept. 23 work session. The motion to table and consolidate passed on a recorded voice roll call: Councilmember Feraldi — No; all other members present — Yes.

Councilmember Timmer said she favored considering each change individually and asked that colleagues offer friendly amendments rather than wholesale substitutes. Several members recommended line-by-line review with the city attorney and a step-by-step vote on consolidated language. The council also agreed to defer remaining discussion to future agenda time so both staff and members have an opportunity to review the unified draft before any general-business vote.

The consolidated draft and the schedule for its consideration were the primary immediate outcomes of the discussion; no substantive rule changes were adopted at the Aug. 26 meeting.