Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
City attorney briefs Tacoma committee on council rules, public-comment limits and enforcement
Summary
City Attorney Chris Boccia told the Government Reports and Finance Committee that the council may adopt rules of procedure consistent with the city charter and state law, described the legal boundaries for public comment and limited public forums, and urged viewpoint-neutral enforcement of time, place and manner rules.
City Attorney Chris Boccia briefed the City of Tacoma Government Reports and Finance Committee on April 15 on the legal authority and limits for the council's rules of procedure, including consent agendas, public comment, public hearings and the standards governing when a speaker may be cut off or removed.
Boccia told the committee the council's authority to adopt rules is grounded in the city charter (he cited Sections 2.9 and 2.4) and in the council's inherent common-law powers. He said the council's rules must conform to applicable law and common parliamentary practice; the council has long adopted and referenced Robert's Rules of Order for that purpose.
On consent agendas, Boccia said the mechanism exists to streamline routine, noncontroversial items but that the council may place any item on consent and that any member…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
