Legislative Task Force Minutes 2005 11-22-05 Page 1 of 3
UNITED CITY OF YORKVILLE
LEGISLATIVE TASK FORCE MEETING
Tuesday,November 22, 2005 6:00 PM
City Conference Room
CITY OFFICIALS IN ATTENDANCE:
Valerie Burd—Committee Chairman John Crois, Interim City Administrator
Joe Besco--Alderman
Jason Leslie—Alderman
GUESTS:
None
The meeting was called to order at 6:05pm by Chairman Burd
.l. Minutes for ApprovaUCorrection
There were no minutes from the previous meeting.
2. Review State Statutes
Chairman Burd said that the objective for this meeting was to review the State Statutes
and also formulate some ideas to improve relationships between the Aldermen and also
the Aldermen and Mayor.
Ms. Burd stated she reviewed Robert's Rules of Order and extracted some definitions that
could apply to their task force. She also said the Council members should be able to
discuss issues without insulting each other.
Alderman Leslie added that having shorter meetings would be beneficial and that concise
segments of time should be allotted to each committee member. A time limit of five
minutes per person was suggested with each person being allowed two turns to speak.
In addition, Chairman Burd said that Robert's Rules allows the Chairman to rule
someone out of order. That decision can be appealed and a vote can be taken with a
simple majority ruling.
When a motion is made, the Rules say the Chairman should restate the issue. Then the
maker of the motion should be allowed the first chance to speak. Thereafter, each person
can speak one time before the original speaker speaks again. It was suggested that the
discussion should follow the original order to be consistent.
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Ms. Burd said that any debate must be specific to the issue, according to Robert's Rules,
and no personal comments should be made. Each person is entitled to their respective
opinion in any discussion.
Robert's Rules also states that the presiding officer should not participate in the
discussion except in small groups, but instead provide impartiality. Even if the presiding
officer has more knowledge of the subject, he/she is to wait until their turn to speak and
not interrupt the order of speakers. The presiding officer cannot call an end to the
discussion unless there is a 2/3 majority vote. He/she can also ask speakers to not repeat
issues already addressed. Alderman Besco noted that as a committee chairman, Tom
Lindblom has asked speakers to not repeat issues and this request has been well-received.
It was noted that while the Mayor does have important input,the length of time for him to
speak could be shortened. Robert's Rules also state that the presiding person should
avoid interjecting personal opinions. It was felt that the Mayor debates each Alderman
after each one speaks. A suggestion was made that the Mayor could state his opinion to
the Aldermen before a meeting on a given issue.
Ms. Burd suggested that the City Administrator or City Staff should provide information
on issues and that would allow the Mayor to remain more impartial. Mr. Crois said he
would try to obtain some Council handbooks or procedure manuals that could address
some of these issues.
Alderman Leslie asked if any Council member could call an"out of order". It was noted
that this is allowed and the Mayor would then rule on that call. It was suggested that the
City Attorney should be made the "Parliamentarian"in all meetings. Attorney Wyeth
was complimented on his procedural knowledge since he began as City Attorney.
In summary, the committee was in agreement that the Robert's Rules of Order should be
adopted as a guide for City meetings. Alderman Besco said that he felt the formality of
the Rules would improve the flow of the meeting. They all agreed to recommend the 5-
minute rule and use a clockwise or consistent rotation for speakers. These
recommendations will be taken to a Committee of the Whole meeting.
In a brief discussion of the State Statutes, the committee agreed that they were somewhat
vague. The Statutes define the role of the Mayor more than they do the role of the
Aldermen.
4. Suggestions for Improving Meeting Functions
The committee felt that the suggestions made regarding limited speaking time, etc. would
greatly improve meetings. Alderman Leslie said he felt the two most important facets of
a successful meeting are an agenda and limiting the time to two hours or less. He felt the
downfall of current meetings is the"back and forth" discussions and that it is difficult to
learn in a meeting that exceeds 60 minutes.
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Committee members then discussed the speaking time limit again. It was decided that 5
minutes should be given to the person who introduces the topic and 2 minutes for other
speakers.
S. Set Next Meeting Date
The committee decided to meet twice a month prior to Council meetings. It will be
determined when Dr. Wood will be available before setting the next meeting date. Mr.
Crois will inform the committee of Dr. Wood's schedule.
6. Additional Business
The committee structure will be discussed at the next meeting. The City Administrator
will also check on the availability of the procedures manuals he spoke about earlier.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:45pm.
Respectfully submitted by
Marlys Young, Minute Taker