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HomeMy WebLinkAbout8A - Parks & Recreation Advisory Board ProcedurePARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD PROCEDURE Presented by the Rules Subcommittee to PRAB for its review at the July 23, 2007 boazd meeting I. AGENDA A. Agenda Committee 1. The agenda committee is composed of the PRAB chair, PRAB vice-chair, Parks and Recreation Department Director, and any pertinent staff. 2. The agenda committee usually meets the Wednesday morning following the Monday following a PRAB meeting. 3. The agenda committee receives a draft agenda from the Pazks and Recreation Department Director, which reflects charter-mandated actions and items on which the Department and/or Council requests PRAB advice as defined by Article XI, Sections 160 through 164 inclusive. 4. The agenda committee carries out only the agenda setting function on behalf of PRAB as a whole; therefore, it will focus on PRAB concerns, it shall not use the agenda committee meeting to advance agenda committee member's own agendas or points of view, and it is explicitly barred from speaking for PRAB on any upcoming decisions. 5. The agenda committee works to balance content with time, allocate time for each item - times assigned aze guidelines to be monitored by the chair during the boazd meeting, and determine how to present each item to PRAB B. The Parks and Recreation Department 1. The Parks and Recreation Department prepares packets containing the agenda and any other pertinent documents for each PRAB meeting. Boazd materials should cleazly articulate the subject or question on which the Board's advice is sought, or the reason why the matter is being brought to the attention of the Board. Boazd materials should allow the Board members to prepaze appropriately prior to the meeting, such as formulating any pertinent motion, discussion points, and questions. 2. The Pazks and Recreation Department distributes the packets to PRAB members, usually on the Wednesday prior to a Monday board meeting. 3. The Parks and Recreation Department provides notice of PRAB meetings as required by BRC 2-3-1(b)(5). Page 1 of 8 C. Notes on specific agenda item categories 1. Items for Action a. Items for action require a public hearing and shall result in a vote upon a motion. The exact wording of the final form of the motion as voted upon shall appear in the minutes. b. Items for action shall generally be preceded by a staff presentation regarding the item and the question or questions for which the staff is seeking the advice of the Board. The staff presentation may be followed by questions from the Board. c. Following any questions from the Boazd, the chair shall open the floor for public hearing. d. Board discussion shall follow the close of the public hearing. The Board's discussion shall be focused azound a question presented in a motion 2. Matters from the Department a. Matters from the Department may include a summary of upcoming work plan, events, collaborative activities to which the staff would like to draw to the attention of Boazd members, and items on which the Department and/or Council requests PRAB advice but for which a public heazing is not warranted or necessary. b. If the matter presented seeks advice from the PRAB, the discussion will focus azound a question presented in the form of a motion unless the context of the matter otherwise requires. 3. Matters from Boazd Members a. Matters from Boazd members may include reports from individual Boazd members on sub- committees or other PRAB-related activities to which less than a quorum of the Board has been assigned or PRAB-related activities which aze not agenda items, but to which an individual Board member may wish to bring to the attention of the Boazd as a whole. b. Matters from Board members shall not include any items requiring deliberative action by the board; any such items shall be provided to the PRAB Agenda Committee for inclusion under Items for Action. Page 2 of 8 II. CONDUCT OF BUSINESS A. Prior to a boazd meeting 1. Boazd members shall review their meeting packets and come to the meeting prepazed to address the agenda without undue delay. 2. To the extent that an individual Board member has a question regazding a particulaz item, the Boazd member shall, to the extent possible, address the question to the Director prior to the meeting with copies of the question to all other Boazd members. If time permits a staff response prior to the meeting, the response shall be presented to all members of the Board. B. Required Officers per Robert's Rules of Order (1981) Sections 3 and 46 1. Presiding Officer The chair is the presiding officer, unless absent. In the absence of the chair, the vice-chair shall be the presiding officer. If both the chair and the vice-chair aze absent, then a chair pro tem shall be elected by a maj ority vote of the members present and shall server as the presiding officer. 2. Secretary In the absence of the secretary, a secretary pro tem shall be elected by a majority vote of the members present. C. Duties of the Presiding Officer per Robert's Rules of Order (1981) Section 46 The presiding officer shall: Determine the presence of a quorum Call the meeting to order Move through the agenda while monitoring the time Assure all persons speaking during public participation have provided the appropriate written information to the board Assure access to the floor is fair, equitable, and untainted by his own position on the issue State and put to vote all motions Announce the result of each vote Enforce the rules relating to procedure and decorum Refuse to recognize dilatory or improper motions Announce the basis or reason for ruling any motion improper Page 3 of 8 D. Duties and rights of inembers per Robert's Rules of Order (1981) Sections 1 and 23 I. Members shall: a) act on behalf of the Boazd only when he or she has been delegated such authority by a vote of the Board b) clearly identify whether they are speaking on behalf of the Board or speaking for themselves when speaking in public forums other than Board meetings 2. Members have the right to: Make motions Speak in debate on motions Vote Require a retake of a voice vote of which the result is doubted by the member Make a point of order to insist on the enforcement of the rules if the member notices a breach of the rules that the presiding officer has not corrected Make a pazliamentary inquiry of the presiding officer if uncertain as to whether there is a breach on which a point of order can be made E. Appeal per Robert's Rules of Order (1981) Sections 6 and 24 Although the duty of ruling on all questions of parliamentary procedure rests with the presiding officer, any two members can require him to submit a ruling to the vote of the Board by moving and seconding an appeal immediately after the presiding officer has made a ruling. By one member making the appeal and another seconding it, the ruling is taken from the presiding officer and vested in the Boazd for final decision. F. Quorum 1. Four members of PRAB constitute a quorum, as specified in Article XI, Section 159. 2. It is the duty of the presiding officer to determine that a quorum is present before calling a meeting to order. An announcement is not required per Robert's Rules of Order (1981) Section 39, Subsection "Manner of enforcing quorum requiremenY' The only actions that can be legally taken in the absence of a quorum, as specified in Robert's Rules of Order (1981) Section 39, Subsection "Proceedings in the absence of a quorum" are: Fix a time at which to adjourn Adjoum Recess Take measures to obtain a quorum Page 4 of 8 IIL ASSIGNMENT OF THE FLOOR A. Recognizing a member per Robert's Rules of Order (1981) Section 41 1. Before speaking, a member must claim the floor by raising their hand. The chair will recognize a member by nodding or announcing. 2. While a motion is open to debate, if the member who made the motion claims the floor and has not already spoken on the question, then he is entitled to be recognized first. 3. While a motion is open to debate, no member who has already had the floor in debate on the question pending is entitled to the floor again so long as any member who has not spoken on the question claims the floor. B. Rules of speaking based on Council Procedure and Robert's Rules of Order (1981) Section 4 At all times, members shall Maintain a courteous tone Avoid repetition to the greatest exYent possible Not engage in personal attacks Confine their speeches to 5 minutes, unless permission has been obtained from the boazd to exceed that limit Page 5 of 8 IV. THE HANDLING OF A MOTION PC1' RObOit'S RUlCS Of OidCi (1981~ S0Ct10nS 4, 12, and 42 A. Usual Procedure L Making a motion A member, after obtaining the floor, makes a motion. If necessary, the motion can be prefaced by a few words of explanation, which must not become a speech, or a member can first request information or can indicate briefly what he wishes to propose and request the chair to assist with appropriate wording. A resolution or a long or complicated motion should be prepared in advance of the meeting, if possible, and should be put in writing before it is offered. 2. Seconding a motion Another member can second the motion to indicate that the motion should come before the boazd for consideration. The seconder may speak and vote against the motion. If there is no second, the chair shall not recognize the motion. 3. Stating the question The chair formally places the motion before the board by stating the exact motion and announcing it is open to debate or discussion. The chair may require any motion to be in writing before she states it. 4. Debate a. The presiding officer can enter into the debate on the pending question. b. The assignment of the floor in section III A above applies. a The speaker's position on the motion should be stated directly, such as "I support this motion because..." or "I oppose this motion because..." d. In addition to the nzles for speaking in section III B above, the following rules of decorum apply: i. Members shall confine remazks to the merits of the pending question ii. Members shall refrain from attacking a member's motives iii. Members shall refrain from speaking against their own motions (if he changes his position to one against his own motion, he may request permission to withdraw the motion - the motion is withdrawn if so approved by the board) iv. Members shall not disturb the board during debate Page 6 of 8 v. Members shall have two opportunities to address the motion, but no member shall be recognized for a second opportunity until every member who wishes to be heazd during the first round of debate has had the opportunity to be heazd. vi. Merely asking a question or making a brief suggestion is not counted towazd the two opportunities each member has to speak in debate. vii. After each member has had the opportunity to be heard in each round of debate, the chair shall call the question. e. Amendments An amendment must always be closely related to or have beazing upon the subject of the motion to be amended. No new subject can be introduced under the pretext of an amendment but an amendment can be hostile to or defeat the spirit of the original motion. ii. Amendments may a) insert or add words or paragraphs b) strike out words or paragraphs c) strike out and insert words d) substitute a minimum of a complete pazagraph to a maximum of the entire text of the motion iii. Handling of amendments a) A member obtains the floor during debate on a motion b) The member moves to amend c) Another member seconds d) The presiding officer states the proposed amended form of the motion e) Debate on the amendment ~ The presiding o~cer puts the amendment to a vote 5. Putting the question to a vote a. The chair asks "Are you ready for the question?" If no one claims the floor, then the chair announces the exact question or motion. If there is any possibility of confusion, the chair should explain the effect of a yes vote and the effect of a no vote. b. The chair announces the form of the vote, in accordance with section V below. c. The chair calls for the affirmative vote d. The chair calls for the negative vote e. The chair announces the result of the vote Page 7 of 8 B. Improper motions per Robert's Rules of Order (1981) Sections 10 and 38 1. A motion is out of order if it conflicts with US, Colorado, or City of Boulder law. 2. A motion is out of order if it proposes action outside the scope of PRAB unless the boazd by a two-thirds vote authorizes its introduction. Note that Sandra Llanes, the Assistant City Attorney, provided a written discussion of the scope of PRAB's role and authority to Jan Geden, Director of Pazks and Recreation, in a memo dated Mazch 16, 2007. 3. A motion is dilatory and out of order if it seeks to obstruct or thwart the will of the boazd as clearly indicated by the existing pazliamentary situation or if it is absurd in substance. V. VOTING A roll call vote on a rotating basis of the roll sha11 be taken upon all motions pertaining to: disposal of park lands expenditure or appropriation from the permanent park and recreation fund grant or denial of any license or permit in or on pazk lands review of the budget recommendations on the budget other items on which the public record will be benefited by a roll call vote. 2. For all other motions, the vote may be taken by voice, by show of hands, or by roll call on a rotating basis of the roll. 3. Unless otherwise expressly provided in the Charter or BRC, an affirmative vote of a majority of the members present shall be necessary to authorize any action of the board, as specified in Article XI, Section 159. 4. Any member who doubts the result of a voice vote has a right to require a retake of that voice vote as a show of hands, so long as he does not use the procedure as a dilatory tactic when there clearly has been a full vote and there can be no reasonable doubt of the result. 5. If a board member is present and refuses to vote, the member s vote shall be recorded in the affirmative. No member is excused from voting except on approving minutes of a meeting that the member did not attend or on a matter creating a conflict of interest or on consideration of such member's conduct in the business of the boazd, as specified by BRC 2- 3-1(e). VI. PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE Except as provided herein or specified in the Charter or BRC, all matters of procedure aze govemed by Robert's Rules of Order (1981) Page 8 of 8