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City Council |
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| GENERAL INFORMATION | |||||
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The Modesto City Council meets at 5:30 pm on the first, second and fourth Tuesdays of each month. Meetings are not held on the third or fifth Tuesday, unless a special meeting is called by City Council. Special
meetings may be called by the mayor or a majority of the councilmembers. Regular
meetings are televised live by the local cable television company. The
Modesto City Council Chamber is located in the basement of Tenth Street Place,
1010 Tenth Street in Modesto, California. | |||||
| AGENDA DEADLINE | |||||
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There are two ways for citizens to communicate with the
Council at a Council meeting: Oral Communications
and Written Communications. For written communications, your request to be
on the agenda must be submitted in writing to the City Clerk no later than 5:00
p.m. on the Wednesday prior to the council meeting you wish to attend.
Your request should include the following information: the date of the meeting
you would like your item to appear on the agenda, a brief description of your
item, any back up information you would like Council to receive prior to the
meeting, and contact information to be used by the City Clerk to confirm your
request. Agenda packets, along with copies of letters and other related information, are delivered to the city council and news media on Thursday afternoon. The complete agenda packet is available for review and copies of staff reports can be obtained from the City Clerk’s Office after 4:00 p.m. on the Thursday prior to the council meeting. Agendas are available in the council Chamber prior to the meeting on Tuesday for review during the meeting. Letters or other communications concerning agenda items may be submitted to the City Clerk at or prior to the meeting. Back to Top | |||||
| SPEAKING TO THE CITY COUNCIL | |||||
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If you wish to speak to the Council regarding an agenda item,
please fill out a blue Speaker's Card, available in the foyer of the
Chambers. Please submit your Speaker's Card to the City Clerk who
will notify the Mayor of your desire to address the Council.
Those wishing to speak to the council about an agenda item should
step to the speaker’s podium after the Mayor announces it is time for
members of the audience to speak on that matter. State your
name and address, and tell the mayor and councilmembers what you wish them
to know or ask any questions you may have. Back to Top | |||||
| ORDER OF BUSINESS | |||||
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| CONSENT ITEMS | |||||
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The word “Consent” is indicated before each item on the
agenda which is considered to be routine and on which no discussion is
anticipated. All consent items are voted on at one time at the beginning
of the meeting. If you wish to discuss, or have a question about any “Consent”
item, tell the city clerk prior to the meeting or say the item number
aloud when the Mayor asks if anyone has a question on a “Consent”
item. It will be considered in the order in which it is listed on the
agenda. Back to Top | |||||
| PUBLIC HEARINGS | |||||
Public hearings are held by the council to allow citizens to
speak in favor of, against, or ask questions about matters of substantial
community concern. The Mayor will open the public hearing and:
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| ORAL COMMUNICATIONS | |||||
| If you wish to discuss something which is not on the agenda, you may do so when the item “Oral Communications” is announced. Oral Communications is a less formal way to bring matters before the City Council. If you wish to address the Council, please fill out a blue Speaker's Card upon entering the Chambers. Present the completed card to the City Clerk. You will be allowed a maximum three minutes to speak. Councilmembers may briefly respond, ask a question, ask that the matter be placed on a future agenda, provide a reference to staff, or request staff to report back at a future meeting. If you wish members of the city council to comment on your topic, you may request them to place the matter on a future agenda. Except under certain unusual circumstances, the Brown Act prohibits the City Council from taking action on items not on the agenda. | |||||
| VOTING | |||||
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According to the provisions of the City Charter, four (4)
votes are required for the council to act on any item, regardless of how
many members are present at the meeting. Even if some members are absent
because of being away or because of a conflict of interest, it is still
necessary to have four votes, not a majority of those present, to take
action. Back to Top | |||||
| CONFLICTS OF INTEREST | |||||
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If a member of the council or the member’s spouse has a
personal or financial interest in any item on the agenda, that
councilmember must “step down” or be excused while that item is being
considered. He/she is not permitted to discuss nor vote on the matter, and
is considered absent for that item. Back to Top | |||||
| COUNCIL ACTIONS | |||||
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Items presented to the council are handled by one of the following actions: An ORDINANCE is a written law enacted to establish a general or long-term rule for the citizens of the city, and can be repealed or amended only by a future ordinance. It is introduced at a council meeting and then the title of the ordinance is published in the newspaper and the complete ordinance is posted in at least three public places. It is adopted at a council meeting held at least two days after it is published or posted. Most ordinances go into effect 30 days after adoption. A RESOLUTION is a formal written expression of the policy of the council, or directs certain types of administrative action, and is effective immediately. It may be changed by a subsequent resolution. A MOTION is ordinarily used
to indicate approval of a procedural action or to authorize disposition of
items of business on the agenda. It may also be used to authorize the
staff to take certain actions. It is effective immediately. | |||||
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P.O. Box 642, Modesto, CA 95353