The Aurora City Council voted unanimously Dec. 1 to amend its rules of order to restore formal public comment at both the start and end of council meetings and to clarify who may be seated on the dais.

Councilmember Coombs, who introduced the resolution, said the main function was "to restore public invited to be heard to the formal meeting, and create space both at the beginning and end of the meeting to provide 3 minutes, not 2 minutes, to speakers." Coombs also proposed removing a provision that had restricted who may sit on the dais and adding procedural changes including a potential 6 p.m. start time and ratification of mayoral appointments at study sessions.

Debate focused on security and narrow exceptions. Councilmember Bergen raised concerns that removing the restriction could allow members of the public on the dais and asked how that would be handled. The city attorney advised the council that keeping an exception tied to the reasonable-accommodation section (A9) or explicitly allowing a council member's family member for limited, necessary reasons would address security and statutory accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act and, where applicable, the Federal Medical Leave Act. The city attorney said such language is advisory but recommended keeping clear guidance in the rules.

Councilmembers offered several friendly amendments. The council agreed to language allowing "the mayor, council members and their family members if needed, the city manager, [and] the city attorney" to be seated on the dais unless an exception under A9 applies. Councilmember Bergen also successfully added three regional committees (Arapahoe County/Region 9 opioid abatement council, Adams County and Douglas County entities) to a list referenced in the resolution.

The amended resolution also reinstated the land acknowledgment and moved invocation and the land acknowledgment before formal business, as described in the measure. After debate and the incorporation of friendly amendments, the clerk called the roll and the council adopted item 14B as amended by unanimous vote.

Councilmember Coombs said she expects a rules committee to take up additional, deeper rule changes in the future. In her remarks she said the goal was to "undo the damage" she said had been done by previous rule changes and to restore public access to the microphone.

The resolution was recorded in the meeting as "Resolution number 2020Five-one46" when read aloud; the transcript notation is garbled and an official, typographically consistent ordinance or resolution number was not specified in the meeting record provided.