HomeMy WebLinkAbout022 - 03/13/1990 - AMENDING CITY CODE RELATING TO OPEN MEETINGS ORDINANCE NO. 22, 1990
OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS
AMENDING CHAPTER 2 OF THE CODE OF
THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS RELATING
TO OPEN MEETINGS
WHEREAS, the establishment of rules of procedure for the conduct of
City Council meetings is a matter of purely local concern; and
WHEREAS, Article II, Section 11 of the City Charter requires that all
meetings of the Council be open to the public; and
WHEREAS, Section 2-26 of the City Code limits the definition of
meetings of the City Council to regular or special meetings called pursuant
to Chapter 2, Article II, Division 2 of the Code and specifically provides
that no other gatherings of the City Council shall be considered as
meetings; and
WHEREAS, Section 2-31 of the Code further specifies that the open
meetings requirement of the Code pertains only to regular and special
meetings of the Council ; and
WHEREAS, the Council considers it in the best interest of the City to
extend the open meetings requirement of the Code to meetings of Council
committees, subject to the same provisions pertaining to executive sessions
as are provided for meetings of the full Council .
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT
COLLINS as follows:
Section 1 . That the Code of the City of Fort Collins is hereby
amended by inserting a new Section 2-26, with the subsequent renumbering of
the following Sections, which section shall read as follows:
Sec. 2-26. Definitions.
For purposes of this division, the following words, terms
and phrases shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this
section:
Council committee or committee of the City Council shall mean
any number of Councilmembers established as a committee by formal
action of the City Council to perform any function related to the
conduct of city business.
Meetings of Council committees shall mean all prearranged
meetings, other than social functions, of the members of a
Council committee convened for the purpose of discussing city
business .
Section 2. That Section 2-27, formerly Section 2-26, of the Code of
the City of Fort Collins is hereby amended to read as follows:
Sec. 2-27. Official meetings.
The provisions and requirements of this Division shall apply
only to regular or special meetings called pursuant to this
Division, except as otherwise specifically stated. No other
gathering of the City Council shall be considered a meeting. No
official action of the City Council shall be taken except at a
regular or special meeting called and held in accordance with the
provisions of this Division.
Section 3. That Section 2-31(a) , formerly Section 2-30(a) , of the
Code of the City of Fort Collins is hereby amended to read as follows:
(a) The City Council , and any committee of the City
Council , by majority vote of its members, may go into executive
session for the purpose of considering matters when the City
Council or its committee determines that the release of the
information to be discussed would be contrary to the best
interests of the city.
Section 4. That Section 2-32, formerly Section 2-31, of the Code of
the City of Fort Collins is hereby amended to read as follows:
Sec. 2-32. Open meetings.
(a) Except as otherwise provided in § 2-31 , all regular and
special meetings of the City Council and all meetings of Council
committees shall be open to the public, except meetings of the
Ethics Review Board established in § 2-569.
(b) The City Council shall have the power to cause persons
to be removed from a City Council meeting if any person fails to
comply with the requirements of the presiding officer in
maintaining order during the meeting.
Section 5. That Chapter 2 of the Code of the City of Fort Collins is
hereby amended by adding two (2) sections, to be numbered 2-33 and 2-34,
which sections shall read as follows:
Sec. 2-33. Notice of Council committee meetings.
All meetings of Council committees shall be held only after
full and timely notice to the public. For the purpose of this
provision, adopting a regular meeting date and filing a statement
with the City Clerk shall be considered full and timely notice.
In the case of Council committees which meet on call or
irregularly, the filing of a notice of the meeting with the City
Clerk at least twenty-four (24) hours before the time of such
meeting shall be full and timely notice. The City Clerk shall
make all such notices available to all interested members of the
public.
Sec. 2-34. Minutes of Council committee meetings; exception.
Minutes shall be maintained of all Council committee
meetings and shall be open to public inspection, except for
minutes of executive sessions permitted under the provisions of §
2-31 above.
Section 6. That Chapter 2, Article VI, Division 3 of the Code of the
City of Fort Collins is amended to read as follows:
DIVISION 3. Open meetings of boards and commissions
Sec. 2-656. Required; exceptions.
All meetings of boards and commissions of the city at which
any formal action is taken by such board or commission shall also
be public meetings open to the public at all times, except that
the foregoing requirement for open meetings shall not apply to
the Water Board, the Personnel Board and the Building Review
Board if such boards determine that the subject for consideration
by the board is such that the best interest of the city or the
public or an individual who will be affected by action of such
board could be jeopardized by an open meeting. The Human
Relations Commission shall have the authority to hold closed
meetings for the purpose of receiving and considering evidence
relating to a citizen complaint filed against a member of the
Office of Police Services. The Trustees of the police, fire and
general employees' pensions shall have the authority to meet in
executive sessions for the purpose of reviewing pension
applications, medical records, personnel records and reports and
discussing pending as well as previously granted pensions with
board attorneys.
Sec. 2-657. Notice.
Any such meeting required to be open to the public shall be
held only after full and timely notice to the public. For the
purpose of this provision, adopting a regular meeting date and
filing a statement with the City Clerk shall be considered full
and timely notice. In the case of boards or commissions meeting
on call or irregularly, the filing of a notice of the meeting
with the City Clerk at least twenty-four (24) hours before the
time of such meeting shall be full and timely notice. The City
Clerk shall make all such notices available to all interested
members of the public. The meetings of the City Council shall be
held in accordance with the Code.
Sec. 2-658. Minutes of meetings; exception.
The minutes of a meeting of any board or commission shall be
promptly recorded and such records shall be open to public
inspection. Minutes of meetings of the Water Board, the
Personnel Board, the Human Relations Commission and the Building
Review Board not open to the public in accordance with the
provisions of this Division shall not be open to public
inspection.
Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered
published this 20th day of February, A.D. 1990, and to be presented for
final passage on the 13thday of March, A.D. 19,90.
Mayor
ATTEST:
City\\Clerk
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Passed and adopted on final reading this th day of March, A.D. 1990.
ayor
ATTEST