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Allegan staff seeks direction on adding written petitions and gifts to council agenda
Summary
Council discussed reintroducing a written-petition agenda item limited to 5-minute presentations and adding a gifts-and-donations recognition section; staff proposed administrative gatekeeping and a draft amendment to council rules after upcoming visioning work.
City staff brought forward a discussion on Nov. 10 about reformatting the City Council agenda to include two new sections: a written-petition slot and formal acceptance/recognition of gifts and donations.
Staff explained written petitions would give organizations and members of the public an opportunity to request council action; staff suggested limiting presentations to five minutes with any dialogue/questions permitted afterward. "We think we can reintroduce written petitions under number 10 with some stipulations that they're limited to 5 minutes in their presentation," staff said. Council discussed who should qualify (organizations vs. individuals), whether presentations should be pre-submitted so staff and council have time to review, and how two council members can still add items per existing rules.
On gifts and donations, staff proposed creating a standing place on the agenda for council to recognize donations and direct staff to send thank-you correspondence. Councilmembers emphasized the need for clear submission timelines, clear rules about who can appear with a PowerPoint (staff must receive materials in advance) and administrative review of petitions to avoid misuse. Staff said they will draft a rules-and-procedures amendment after the city’s upcoming visioning/strategic-planning workshop for council consideration.
