Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Governance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ridgway council reviews meeting rules and public-comment protocols; staff to draft concise rules and training
Summary
Councilors reviewed town meeting rules, discussed adopting a shorter rules-of-procedure guide, debated public-comment time limits and timers, and asked staff to prepare a draft of salient procedural points and training for future review.
On June 16 the Ridgway Town Council spent the bulk of a special meeting reviewing rules of procedure, public-hearing scripts and standards of conduct and asked staff to prepare a concise draft for council training and later adoption.
A presenter recommended adopting a shorter modern manual (referred to in the packet as "Bob's Rules") rather than relying on the more comprehensive 19th-century Robert's Rules of Order, saying the shorter manual provides clearer, practical guidance for a small-town council that prefers an informal tone but still needs predictable procedures. The presenter noted the town currently lacks a formally adopted, compact rules-of-procedure document.
The council discussed quorum rules under the town charter, the chain of command for staff direction, and limits on unilateral action by individual council members. The presenter emphasized that personnel actions and staff direction should flow through the town manager and that individual members should not give orders directly to staff.
Members raised several practical meeting-management issues: limiting public-comment speakers to five minutes, using a visible timer or informal signals to keep speakers on time, asking applicants to provide written materials in advance and deliver a short oral synopsis at meetings, and placing lengthy or contentious items on workshops or at different positions on the agenda. One council member urged being stricter about the five-minute limit for public comment so that meetings run efficiently; another cautioned that timers can sometimes create additional disputes and recommended a one-minute warning before time expires.
The presenter recommended a brief training session if the council adopts formal rules so that councilors, staff and the public understand how the rules will operate in practice. Council members agreed and directed staff to compile suggested procedure points and return with materials for a workshop or a year-end review; no ordinance or formal rule change was adopted at this meeting.
The discussion also included explanation of disciplinary options for alleged misconduct (including censure and public reprimand) and clarification that censure is typically a formal, record-based action that does not itself carry criminal consequences but can have political implications such as prompting recall efforts.
Council ended the item by asking staff to prepare a short list of suggested rules and to consider training and public-facing materials explaining hearing and public-comment procedures.
