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Baberton council adopts new rules to add consent agenda, livestream meetings and change committee structure
Summary
The Baberton City Council unanimously approved a package of rule changes on Nov. 24 that adds a consent agenda, requires live-streaming and archiving of meetings, and restructures committee membership and voting procedures, including a new Charter Review Committee.
Baberton City Council on Nov. 24 adopted a package of rule changes that create a formal consent-agenda process, expand committee membership rules and require live-streaming and archiving of meetings.
The changes, presented by Rules Committee chair Miss Gearhart and adopted unanimously after a roll call, set a 24-hour notice requirement (up from 12 hours), allow electronic mail as an official method for notifying council members, and require each committee to have four members with the council president voting only to break ties. The package also establishes a Charter Review Committee that must act by a two‑thirds affirmative vote to advance proposed charter amendments to the ballot, and adds a seven‑day objection window and a prescribed procedure for notifying the Ohio Division of Liquor Control when council members object to a liquor-license renewal or transfer.
Council members said the changes were intended to increase transparency and modernize how the council handles routine items. The rules add language requiring all regular and special council meetings be live-streamed and archived on the city’s official website or designated platform, with the clerk of council responsible for preserving recordings under the city’s public-record retention schedule.
The council moved the changes as a single package and approved adoption by roll call. President Greer announced, "That's unanimous," after the vote. The newly adopted rules also clarify committee responsibilities (adding technology and public relations to specific committees) and create a formal consent-agenda mechanism that will allow routine items to be enacted as a single roll-call motion unless a member or member of the public requests separate consideration.
The rules take effect immediately under the council’s adopted procedure. Councilors said the revisions were intended to streamline routine business while preserving public notice and the right to debate items removed from the consent agenda.
A final, council-approved version of the updated rules will be posted to the city’s official meeting archive and website.
