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Council debates disciplinary language and definitions of uncivil behavior
Summary
Councilors debated adding disciplinary language and clearer definitions of "uncivil or disrespectful behaviors" to the council rules, with some members warning specific definitions could be subjective and the city solicitor advising that written rules help support enforcement.
Councilors spent a substantial portion of the workshop debating how to define and enforce a code of conduct for meetings. Councilor Smythe said she included new paragraphs drawn from workplace-environment sources and some material from Robert's Rules of Order to provide clearer procedures for addressing belligerent or personal attacks. Several councilors warned that narrowly defining "offensive or intimidating gestures" could be subjective.
The city solicitor responded that including rules in writing provides the council leverage when addressing disruptions and can help defend actions. "I mean, I also agree with what councilor Smythe just said...having it in there, it also helps you where if you have someone who's being disruptive...you can say our rules still prevent this," the solicitor said. Councilors discussed options including removing overly specific examples and keeping a short, enforceable disciplinary process in the rules.
Councilors asked Smythe to revise the code-of-conduct language to remove or narrow any provisions that could be interpreted unevenly and to add clear procedural steps for warnings, time limits and potential removal from the dais.
