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Sedona council approves broad rules‑of‑procedure changes including ranked‑choice wording and liaison reporting
Summary
After multiple hours of discussion and targeted amendments, the Sedona City Council approved a revised set of rules of procedure that clarifies enforcement (censure/reinstate thresholds), adds ranked‑choice voting language for mayor/vice‑mayor selection (with public ballots), tightens liaison guidance and requires reporting of substantive liaison votes at the next council meeting, and expands limited ex parte restrictions for appeals; council voted unanimously to adopt the amended rules.
The Sedona City Council unanimously approved a substantial revision to its rules of procedure, adopting edits that address ethics language, enforcement standards for public censure, ranked‑choice voting procedures for mayor/vice‑mayor selection, liaison duties and reporting, and ex parte communication limits tied to appellate matters.
Staff walked the council through a 43‑page packet with proposed changes. Highlights include a streamlined ethics statement, a clarified enforcement pathway for private reprimand and public censure and a decision to require the same two‑thirds threshold to rescind a loss of "good standing" that applies to imposing it. On advisory procedures, staff added a ranked‑choice voting section designed to govern mayor and vice‑mayor appointments; the clerk will prepare ballots, and the council discussed making ballots public documents and practicing the procedure at an upcoming retreat.
The rules concerning liaisons were updated to give liaisons latitude to vote on non‑substantive items while requiring that any vote or commitment on substantive items be reported at the next council meeting. Council members debated how to define "substantive," whether liaisons should abstain from legislative votes and how timely reporting would work; staff said they would e‑mail appeals to all council members and highlight ex parte restrictions for appeals from the Planning and Zoning Commission and Board of Adjustment.
Mayor Ploog and multiple councilors said they prefer objective standards for restoring good standing after a censure; the council ultimately amended the draft to require a two‑thirds vote of the entire city council for both imposing and rescinding loss of good standing. Councilor Kinsella proposed and the council accepted a process that liaison votes on substantive matters be reported at the next council meeting to allow follow‑up if needed.
After completing discussion on multiple pages and making editorial fixes (page references and rule numbering), Councilor Furman moved to approve the rules as amended; the motion was seconded and the council voted unanimously to adopt them. Staff said it would update the document, correct rule numbers and redistribute a cleaned PDF next week.
The council also discussed proclamations, awards and designations and left further procedural refinements for future agenda work; staff will bring models and examples if council wants them.
