Source: http://minneapolis-mn.elaws.us/code/coor_appa_appid62130
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 03:08:09+00:00

Document:
SECTION 1. Purpose; Procedural Authority.
When an assembly adopts a particular parliamentary authority, its rules and procedures are binding upon the assembly in all cases where they are not inconsistent with legal authorities of higher precedence.
(2) The assembly may act only in a proper meeting in the presence of a quorum.
(3) Only one question may claim the assembly's attention at a time, and only one member may claim the floor at any given time, subject to recognition by the presiding officer.
(4) Each member has the right to know the immediately pending question as well as its effect if adopted before a vote it taken.
(5) A majority of the assembly decides a question; except that a two-thirds vote is generally required for any motion whose effect would alter, modify, or deprive any member of rights in any way.
NOTE 2: It is an accepted legal principle that the ultimate authority of the municipal government is vested in its duly constituted governing body as it meets. Thus, it is only in the context of a properly convened meeting that the governing body may take action.
NOTE 3: Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, 11th Edition, is the most current version and supersedes all earlier editions as the parliamentary authority for organizations which have adopted it [See RONR - In Brief, page 100].
SECTION 2. Suspension of Rules.
SECTION 3. Amendment of Rules.
NOTE 4: Because rules are established to protect the rights of all members, and to provide a consistent framework within which the assembly conducts its business, any motion to suspend or amend the adopted rules requires a higher voting threshold for passage.
SECTION 2. Officers and Duties.
NOTE 5: Under the Rules, each regular and special meeting constitutes a separate session of City Council. However, when a meeting is adjourned to a future date or time, it is essentially a continuation of that meeting. Under the City Charter, these extensions of meetings are classified as "sessions." Because an adjourned meeting is a continuation of a prior meeting, it is out of order to renew or consider motions previously introduced and disposed of without adoption. See RONR § 38, pp. 336—339 for details.
SECTION 6. Calendar & Notices.
See generally definition, terms, and uses for agenda, pp. 371—375.
SECTION 1. Standing Committees: Purpose, Appointment & Structure.
See Rule II., Section 1, B(3), which provides that standing and special committees shall be ratified by the City Council during its organizational meeting.
See Rule IV., Section 1, which provides that the Council President shall nominate each committee's membership, subject to ratification by the City Council.
NOTE 6: A committee—as understood in parliamentary law—is a subordinate body composed of one or more members elected or appointed to consider, to investigate, to develop recommendations, or to take action on referred matters or upon subjects within its jurisdiction, or both, or to do all of these things. A committee generally has no independent authority, it being merely an instrument of the assembly formed for its benefit and purposes.
SECTION 1. Committee of the Whole as a Standing Committee.
NOTE 7: As a standing committee, the Committee of the Whole is subject to the same rules and regulations applied to other standing and special committees of the City Council. It has a prescribed jurisdiction. This differs from the general provisions and practices contained in Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised.
SECTION 2. Intergovernmental Relations Subcommittee.
SECTION 3. Special Events & Presentations.
NOTE 8: The term "Council Leadership" is generally understood to refer to the President and Vice-President of the City Council.
SECTION 4. Use of Committee of the Whole for informal consideration.
NOTE 9: When necessary, and on proper motion and vote, the City Council may resolve itself into a committee of the whole during any regular or special meeting for the purposes of considering business in a more informal manner that what is prescribed by these rules for meetings of the full City Council. This use of the committee of the whole structure is separate and apart from the standing committee of the same title, but aligns with the general provisions and practices contained in Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised.
NOTE 10: The committee system is at the heart of the legislative process; committees are established to shape, perfect, and put proposals into proper form for consideration by the assembly. Consequently, it is the presumption that the City Council will refer all proposals to the proper committee, and that any exception or deviation from this standard procedure shall be in a narrowly-defined and extraordinary circumstance.
SECTION 3. Rules and Procedures in Committee.
(3) There is generally no limit on the length of debate, nor a limit to the number of times any member may speak in debate on a particular subject or motion.
Under these Rules, the chair of each committee is empowered to determine the degree of formality or degree to which stricter enforcement of rules is necessary to preserve an orderly progression of business without infringing on the rights of any member. To ensure fairness to all members of the committee, the chair should explain the reasoning for any decision to apply or enforce a greater level of formality.
SECTION 4. Consideration of Committee Business.
SECTION 6. Discharge of Committee.
SECTION 7. Voting in Committees.
SECTION 9. Joint Meetings of Committees.
SECTION 1. Public Hearing, Defined.
SECTION 2. Role of the Chair.
SECTION 4. Public Hearing Required for Certain Appointments.
Also known as a "primary motion," a main motion provides for the introduction of a new business proposal before the assembly. It is the lowest in rank by the classification of motions.
The following classes of motions are collectively referred to as "secondary motions."
(7) Lay on the Table.
(5) Fix the Time to Which to Adjourn.
Note: In Minneapolis, the City Council uses the procedure for Division of a Question (RONR § 27), even when the intent is to Consider a Question by Paragraph (RONR § 28), and may refer to these two procedures interchangeably.
(9) Requests and Inquiries, including Request for Information and Parliamentary Inquiry.
(2) No main motion is ever in order which proposes action or pertains to a subject matter which is beyond the assembly's scope of authority or power (ultra vires).
(3) No main motion is ever in order that presents substantially the same question as a motion previously rejected during the same meeting (or session).
(4) No main motion is ever in order that would conflict with or that presents substantially the same question as one which has been temporarily disposed of (postponed, laid on the table, referred), and which remains within the control of the assembly.
(1) The motion to amend is a primary amendment, or an amendment in the first degree, and is applied to the immediately pending motion. The motion to amend an amendment is a secondary amendment, or an amendment in the second degree, and is used to modify a pending primary amendment. Amendments which exceed the second degree are not allowed.
(2) There is no limit to the number of amendments that can be applied to a motion as long as there is only one amendment of the same rank on the floor at a time.
(3) An amendment must be germane to the immediately pending question. An amendment may be hostile to, or even defeat, the spirit of the original motion and still be germane. However, a new and independent question cannot be introduced under color of an amendment.
(4) An amendment cannot be used to change one form of parliamentary motion into another. For example, it is out of order to attempt, by way of an amendment, to change a pending motion to postpone to a time certain into a motion to postpone indefinitely.
(5) An amendment is out of order if its effect would be to cause the pending question to become out of order. For example, it is out of order to attempt, by way of an amendment, to alter the form of the pending question such that it would conflict with the federal or state constitution or any laws having higher precedence or which would cause the assembly to act ultra vires.
NOTE 15: Each debatable motion introduces a new question with respect to members' rights in debate — see RONR 43, pp. 389—390, ll. Thus, if a series of debatable questions is pending, a member has the right to debate each question (that is, to speak twice to each debatable question) subject to the general time limitations provided within these Rules. Modification to the general limits of debate—that is, to limit/restrict or to extend debate—may be made as set forth in Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, pp. 390—391.
See RONR § 43, pp. 396—399, for details as to the principles governing the debatability of motions.
SECTION 3. Rulings by Presiding Officer; Appeals.
NOTE 16: On final action on ordinances and resolutions, and on many other proposals, the vote is taken by roll call. The majority of legislative bodies utilize this voting method because it is the most accurate and easily-verified form of voting to transact. Moreover, this voting method places on record the vote of each member of the assembly; since Council Members vote in a representative capacity, their constituents are thus able to determine how their representative voted on a specific issue or subject matter.
NOTE 17: A tie vote results in no action being taken by the assembly, but does not automatically equate to the opposite effect of the original proposal. Thus, if a motion to approve a proposal results in a tie vote, no action has been taken, and the original proposal remains in possession of the assembly, subject to further motions under the rules of debate; however, the proposal was not defeated (voted down) as a result of the tie vote. One notable exception to this general application of the rule is that on an appeal taken to the ruling of the presiding officer, a tie vote does sustain the ruling of the presiding officer. This is based on the principle that the decision of the presiding officer can only be reversed by a majority vote.
SECTION 6. Rescission of Previous Action.
SECTION 7. Presentation of Official Acts to the Mayor.
SECTION 8. Consideration of Mayoral Veto.
SECTION 1. Ordinances - Manner of Introduction.
NOTE 18: The introduction and referral of ordinances generally follows a two-step process, which is intended to ensure adequate notice is provides to all Council Members as well as the public. First, a notice of intent must be made at a prior meeting. Notices of ordinance introductions are agendized under the order of New Business. Second, after notice is given in the first cycle, the ordinance is brought forward under the order Unfinished Business in the next cycle.
Under Council's Rules, the President refers the ordinance to the standing committee(s) having proper subject-matter jurisdiction, although the President's decision may be appealed to the full City Council. A majority vote is required to approve the referral. The introduction and referral constitute the first reading of the ordinance as required by the City Charter.
Occasionally, a Council Member may wish to expedite the notice and introduction in a single cycle. This can be done, but requires unanimous consent by all Council Members at the meeting (assuming a quorum is present). If even one Council Member objects, the Member making the introduction may give notice at that time and make the introduction in the next cycle, as provided in the regular two-step notice and introduction process.
NOTE 19: Introduction of Ordinance —or— Introduction of Subject Matter or an Ordinance. There is a subtle but important distinction between introducing an ordinance and introducing the subject matter of an ordinance. In the former case, the assumption is that a draft of the proposed ordinance is prepared and available for review at the time of introduction and will be referred to the proper standing committee for its consideration. Having the draft prepared at this stage can further expedite the process. However, when the ordinance has not been drafted at the time of its introduction, the subject matter of the ordinance may be introduced so that the process may proceed. When the subject matter of an ordinance is referred to the proper standing committee, the usual practice is for the standing committee of reference to then act to refer the matter to staff so the ordinance can be prepared in written form and brought back to the committee for its formal consideration.
NOTE 20: Introduction and referral of Resolutions and other matters. Unlike the two-step process outlined above for the introduction and referral of ordinances, resolutions and other matters are generally introduced and referred simultaneously. As part of the regular order Presentation of Petitions, Communications & Reports, these matters are collectively introduced and referred to the proper standing committee(s) having subject-matter jurisdiction.
SECTION 2. Ordinances - Title, Author & Enacting Clause.
SECTION 3. Ordinances - Number of Readings.
SECTION 4. Ordinances - Enactment Procedure.
SECTION 5. Ordinances - Return to Author.
NOTE 21: An ordinance refers to a local law of a municipal corporation prescribing general, uniform, and permanent policies, rules, or regulations related to the corporate affairs of the municipality. [McQuillin, Municipal Corporations, § 15 01 (3d Ed )]. The general ordinances of the municipality, as codified, comprise the body of local law governing the management of local affairs, the conduct of persons, the allowable uses of property, and a myriad of other subject matters upon which the municipal government exercises primary oversight and power.
By contrast, a resolution is a formal statement of policy or the expression of a position with respect to a particular subject matter, which may be either legislative or administrative in character, but which does not generally carry the force and effect of local law.
From this general distinction between ordinances and resolutions, it follows that on those matters where the City Council determines to enact general, uniform, and permanent policies, rules, or regulations, especially those which include penalty provisions for violations, the form should be an ordinance. An ordinance should also be used in any instance required by state statute, city charter, or any other applicable requirement of law. Notwithstanding this guide, Minneapolis City Charter, Chapter 4, § 7, provides that the City Council may, in specific instances, exercise its powers through the adoption of resolutions when the same cannot be more readily done through the enactment of an ordinance.
SECTION 1. Journal of Proceedings.
NOTE 22: The veracity of the official record of acts, orders, and judgments is critical in providing documentary evidence of decision-making processes, particularly if such actions become subject to judicial review. The Minnesota State Auditor's Office has issued a position statement (revised in 2009 and reviewed December 2010) outlining the recommended components for meeting minutes which establishes minimum contents to be included for every type of meeting. In that statement, the State Auditor's Office opined that audio or video recordings of meetings do not constitute "minutes," and are not a substitute for a requirement to produce and keep minutes.
SECTION 2. Petitions & Communications.

References: § 38
 § 27
 § 28
 § 43
 § 15
 § 7