Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrd1993-015 . . . Sponsored by: Murphy CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA ORDINANCE NO. 93-15 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA, AMENDING SEWARD CITY CODE SECTION 2.10.070, ADDRESSING THE COUNCIL BY THE PUBLIC WHEREAS, the City Council wishes to clarify and expand the rules and regulations governing public hearings and other opportunities for the public to address the Councilj NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA HEREBY ORDAINS that: Section 1. Section 2.10.070 of the Seward City Code is hereby amended to read as follows: 2.10.070 Addressing the council by the public. A. Generally. A person desiring to address the council shall first secure the permission of the presiding officer to do so, shall stand before the council and give his name and address in an audible tone of voice for the record, and, unless further time is granted by the presiding officer, shall limit his address to the time limits specified below. 1. All remarks shall be addressed to the council as a body and not to any member thereof. 2. No person other than a councilmember and the person having the floor shall be permitted to enter into any discussion without permission from the presiding officer. 3. Citizens giving testimony may not ask questions of a councilmember, the mayor or the city staff. However, councilmembers or the mayor may ask questions of citizens giving testimony, and the time allotted to a citizen for public testimony shall be extended automatically to provide additional time which is reasonably sufficient to answer all questions posed. 4. All writings, photographs, plats, maps or other items presented by a citizen during public testimony for consideration by the council shall be retained by the clerk. 5. Citizens may present written testimony by filing said testimony with the clerk at or before the time scheduled for the public hearing on the item or the time scheduled for citizens' comments if the item is not scheduled for public hearing. 6. A citizen, acting alone or with a group, shall not disrupt a council meeting. . . . CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA ORDINANCE NO. 93-15 B. Public hearings. Taxpayers or residents of the city or their authorized legal representatives mo.y address the council in regard to mo.tters then under discussion. 1. Unless further time is granted by the presiding officer, each person testifying under public hearing shall limit his presentation to five minutes. The clerk shall make available sign-up sheets on which persons desiring to speak on items scheduled for public hearing mo.y indicate their desire. The presiding officer shall request comment from persons in the order in which they have signed up on said sheets and then shall take comments from all other persons desiring to speak. 2. No person who has previously spoken during the public hearing on a particular item mo.y speak again unless all other persons desiring to give testimony at the public hearing have spoken. A person speaking for a second time shall give testimony for not more than one minute unless the presiding officer designates a different time. 3. No person mo.y speak on an item after public hearing on that item has terminated unless the presiding officer determines otherwise. C. Citizens' comments and discussion. Taxpayers or residents of the city or their authorized representatives mo.y address the council by oral communication on any mo.tter concerning the city's business, or any mo.tter over which the council has control. There shall be two opportunities provided at each regular meeting for such comments. 1. Citizens' comments. The clerk shall mo.ke available sign-up sheets on which persons desiring to speak during this time mo.y indicate their desire to do so. All presentations under this agenda item shall be limited to two minutes per person and shall also be limited to a total time of not more than thirty minutes. a. Agenda items not scheduled for public hearing. Comments shall be limited to items appearing on the agenda but not scheduled for public hearing. b. Items other than those appearing on the agenda. Citizens mo.y comment under this agenda item on any mo.tter concerning the city's business or any mo.tter over which the council has control other than those items which appear on the agenda. 2. Citizens' discussion. Comments concerning any item over which the council has control mo.y be mo.de. All presentations under this agenda item shall be limited to five minutes per person. D. Presentations with prior notice. Anyone wishing to make a formal presentation to the council concerning any item not appearing on the agenda must give prior written notice to the clerk no later than noon on the Tuesday immediate- ly preceding the Monday meeting. Such notice shall set forth the name of the person wishing to mo.ke the presentation, his mo.iling address and the nature of the proposed communication in order that the same mo.y appear on the agenda of the -2- . . . CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA ORDINANCE NO. 93-15 council. Such presentations shall be limited to five minutes unless further time is granted by the presiding officer. E. Spokesman for S{'oup of persons. When any group of persons wishes to address the council on the same subject matter, it shall be proper for the presiding officer to request that a spokesman be chosen by the group to address the council, and in that case, if additional members of the same group are to be presented at that time, to limit the number of persons so addressing the council so as to avoid repetition before the council. Section 2. This ordinance shall take effect ten (10) days following its enactment. ENACTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA, this 10th day of May, 1993. THE CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA i;)@z ~. C~ Dave W. Crane, Mayor AYES: NOES: ABSENT: ABSTAIN: Bencardino, Crane, Darling, Krasnansky, Sieminski, Swartz, White None None None A TIEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM: Wohlforth, Argetsinger, Johnson & Brecht, Attorneys for the city of Seward, Alaska ~,(~ City Attorney (City Seal) Introduced By: Introduction Date: Public Hearing & Enactment Date: Krasnansky & White 04/26/93 05/10/93 -3-