Azusa Municipal Code Div. 2 Rules of Procedure

In adopting this division, the city council finds, determines and declares that:

(1) In order to govern the city in an efficient but fair manner, the council must adopt rules of public decorum that enable the public to address issues before the council on its agenda or of concern to the community.

(2) The public expects the city council meetings to be conducted in a reasoned and deliberative manner so that the issues before the council can be debated in a careful and thorough manner while preserving the council meetings as a forum for the full and complete discussion of all points of view. Accordingly, any persons in attendance at the city council meeting shall be quiet during the proceedings and shall obey the rules set forth in this division in order to preserve and to protect the rights of the public for participation in city government and to enable the council to conduct public business in a fair and efficient manner.

(3) In adopting this division, it is the intent of the council to prohibit actions which disrupt, disturb or otherwise impede the orderly conduct of the council meeting.

(Code 1971, § 2.04.060(A))

Meetings of the city council shall be conducted in an orderly manner to ensure that the public has a full opportunity to be heard and that the deliberative process of the council is retained at all times. The presiding officer of the council shall be the mayor or, in his absence, the mayor pro tempore or, in their absence, another member so designated by the council, who shall be responsible for maintaining the order and decorum of meetings.

(Code 1971, § 2.04.060(B))

While any meeting of the city council or of another entity for which the council is the legislative body is in session, the following rules of order and decorum shall be observed:

(1) Councilmembers. The members of the city council shall preserve order and decorum, and a member shall not by conversation or other means delay or interrupt the council proceedings or disturb any other member while speaking.

(2) City staff members. Employees of the city shall observe the same rules of order and decorum as those which apply to the members of the council.

(3) Persons addressing council. Each person who addresses the council on any item shall do so in an orderly manner and shall not make personal, impertinent, slanderous or profane remarks to any member of the council, staff or general public which disrupts, disturbs or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of council meetings. Any person who makes such remarks or who utters loud, threatening, personal or abusive language or engages in any other disorderly conduct which disrupts, disturbs or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of any council meeting shall, at the discretion of the presiding officer or a majority of the council, be barred from that council meeting.

(4) Time limit on speaking. Persons addressing the council on agenda and public participation items shall have a maximum of five minutes to speak. The time spent on questions from councilmembers or discussions by councilmembers shall not be charged to the five-minute time. The mayor or presiding officer may, with the consent of the council, extend the speaker's time.

(5) Members of audience. No person in the audience at a council meeting shall engage in disorderly or boisterous conduct, including the utterance of loud, threatening or abusive language, whistling, stamping of feet or other acts which disturb, disrupt or otherwise impede the orderly conduct of any council meeting. Any person who conducts oneself in such manner shall, at the discretion of the presiding officer or a majority of the council, be barred from that council meeting.

(Code 1971, § 2.04.060(C))

The rules of decorum set forth in section 2-53 shall be enforced in the following manner:

(1) Warning. The mayor or presiding officer shall request that a person who is breaching the rules of decorum be orderly and silent. If, after receiving a warning from the mayor or presiding officer, a person persists in disturbing the meeting, the presiding officer shall order him to leave the council meeting. If such person does not leave, the presiding officer may order any law enforcement officer who is on duty at the meeting to remove that person from the council chambers.

(2) Removal. Any law enforcement officer shall carry out all lawful orders and instructions given by the mayor or presiding officer for the purpose of maintaining order and decorum at the council meeting.

(3) Resisting removal. Any person who resists removal by a law enforcement officer shall be charged with a violation of this division.

(4) Penalty. Any person who violates any provision of this division shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be subject to the penalty provided in section 1-10.

(5) Motion to enforce. If the mayor or presiding officer of the council fails to enforce the rules set forth in section 2-53, any member of the council may move to require him to do so, and an affirmative vote of a majority of the council shall require him to do so. If the mayor or presiding officer of the council fails to carry out the will of a majority of the council, the majority may designate another member of the council to act as presiding officer for the limited purpose of enforcing any rule of this division which it wishes enforced.

(6) Adjournment. If a meeting of the council is disturbed or disrupted in such a manner as to make infeasible or improbable the restoration of order, the meeting may be adjourned or continued by the mayor or presiding officer or a majority of the council, and any remaining council business may be considered at the next meeting.

(Code 1971, § 2.04.060(D))

The council may, by resolution, provide for the order of the agenda, conduct of meetings, parliamentary procedure or such other matters as are necessary for orderly conduct of council meetings.

(Code 1971, § 2.04.060(E))