title
Motion of the Council of Allegheny County amending the Rules of Council for Allegheny County Council
body
NOW THEREFORE, IT IS MOVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY,
That this Council hereby amends the Rules of Council as follows:
ARTICLE III. COUNCIL AGENDAS.
A. Preparation of Agenda
1. The agenda for regular or special meetings of Council shall be prepared by the Clerk in consultation with the President, or in his or her absence, the Vice-President or appointed Presiding Officer.
2. The agenda shall include the following items:
i. Proclamations, motions, resolutions, and ordinances, requested in writing, by any member of Council;
ii. Presentation of appointments, made in writing, by the Chief Executive;
iii. Resolutions and ordinances, requested in writing, and notification of executive actions relating to contracts by the County Manager;
iv. Resolutions and ordinances, requested in writing, by any Row Officer;
v. Resolutions and ordinances, requested in writing, by the Courts;
vi. All ordinances presented through agenda initiative petitions certified as sufficient by the Clerk in accordance with the provisions of Article VI of these rules.
3. The Clerk shall have available prior to the meeting a record of all matters to be presented at the meeting. The record shall consist of an agenda, copy of all ordinances and resolutions, appointments to be considered as well as other matters needing advance consideration. The date and time of the meeting shall be clearly stated on the agenda.
B. Order of Agenda Items
The order of business for each regular meeting of Council shall be as follows, unless a majority of the seated members of Council votes otherwise:
1. Call to Order
2. The Pledge of Allegiance
3. Prayer, Invocation, or Moment of Silence
4. Roll Call
5. Presentation of Proclamations
6. Addresses by the Chief Executive
7. Approval of Minutes
8. Public Comment on Agenda Items
9. Presentation of Appointments
10. Reports of the County Manager, Independently Elected County Officials, the Courts, Committees, Liaisons, Special Advisory Groups, Agencies, or Speakers formally invited by Council
11. Official Action on Regular Business of Council: Reports of Committees and Ordinances, Resolutions, and Motions
12. Introduction of New Business of Council: Ordinances, Resolutions, and Motions
13. Public Comment on Non-Agenda Items
14. Adjournment
C. Procedure for Placing Items on the Agenda
1. All items to be included on the agenda, except those submitted by Council Members, must be submitted in written and electronic form to the Clerk no later than 12:00 Noon the Thursday prior to a regular meeting of Council in the format prescribed by these rules. Each item shall be accompanied by a cover letter from the requesting sponsor and a summary of the legislation being presented.
2. All items which fall under the jurisdiction of the Chief Executive shall be submitted to the Clerk through the County Manager.
3. All items to be included on the agenda sponsored by Council Members, must be submitted in written and electronic form to the Clerk no later than 10:00 a.m. the Friday prior to a regular meeting of Council in the format prescribed by these rules.
4. All pieces of legislation shall include a title that clearly indicates the purpose of the legislation. Legislation amending existing law shall also be noted as such in the title. All pieces of legislation shall include severability and repealer language and an appropriate page for enactment information, signatures and attestation as provided by the Clerk.
5. Legislation amending existing law shall be presented by utilizing Microsoft Office Tools-track changes to indicate language that is being omitted and inserted. Amendment may also be reflected by providing the language within the existing law, followed immediately by noting the language that would replace it. If utilizing this option, sponsors should also submit the existing law to the Clerk for reference.
6. Each piece of legislation shall state the sponsor of the legislation. If a council member is the sponsor of legislation and wishes to list another member as co-sponsor, the co-sponsor must communicate this to the Clerk. If a member wishes to co-sponsor another member's legislation, the sponsor has the option of accepting or rejecting co-sponsorship and must communicate this to the Clerk.
D. Non-Agenda Items
The Council may take action on ordinances and resolutions not appearing on the posted agenda under any of the following conditions:
1. Legislation resulting from an emergency situation as defined in Section 307.01(D) of the Administrative Code;
2. Upon determination by the President or the Presiding Officer that there is a need to take immediate action and that the need to take action came to the attention of the Council subsequent to the agenda being posted;
3. Council members may introduce items not on the agenda by motion. The motion may be acted upon by the Council, referred to committee, or by majority vote of Council, postponed to another meeting.
E. Posting of Agendas
The agenda for any regular or special meeting shall be made available to the public no later than twenty-four (24) hours prior to the stated regular or special meeting. In addition, the agenda for the stated regular or special meeting shall be posted in a conspicuous place in the Courthouse and on the Allegheny County website.
F. Agenda Initiative Items
In the event that any agenda initiative petition is certified as insufficient under the terms of §5-1101.08 of the Administrative Code (pertaining to certification of agenda initiative petitions), such certification shall be placed by the Chief Clerk as a discussion topic on the agenda for the next Regular Meeting of Council.