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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 �q Passed and adopted on final reading this th day of March, A.D. 1990. ayor ATTEST