Council rejects proposal to move honorary and memorial resolutions to proclamations
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Summary
A proposed rules change to shift nonbinding honorary or memorializing resolutions into proclamations failed after debate over transparency and maintaining a public record; the amendment did not receive enough votes to pass.
The Metropolitan Council considered and rejected an amendment to Rule 12 that would move nonbinding honorary and memorializing resolutions to proclamations, a change sponsors said would streamline meetings and reduce staff workload.
Sponsor Councilmember Johnston told the council the change was intended to improve meeting efficiency and ease a heavy load on the council office, noting that proclamations are printed and a searchable database exists. Supporters characterized the move as administrative and intended to free time for substantive business.
Opponents, including Councilmember Sepulveda and Councilmember Voh, said the change would reduce transparency and remove important historical acknowledgments from the council's public agenda. Sepulveda warned that some moments in the city's history "outweigh the minimal time" a resolution adds to a meeting, and Voh said resolutions "provide transparency that proclamations do not" and risk concentrating gatekeeping about which community recognitions are heard.
Council voted on the amendment by recorded vote; it failed with 12 in favor, 14 against, and 1 abstention. Because rules changes require a supermajority (27 votes), the body did not adopt the amendment.
Next steps: Council members discussed additional rule amendments and referred some proposed changes to committee for further consideration.