Charter Commission

1. Time.  The Commission shall hold regular meetings on the first Thursday of the month at 7:00 p.m. provided, however, that when the day fixed for any regular meeting falls on a legal holiday, the meeting shall be held on the next succeeding business day, unless otherwise designated.  It is intended that a regular meeting shall occur only if the Commission has business to conduct.
2. Place.  Unless another place is designated in advance by the Commission, all regular meetings of the Commission for the purpose of taking official action shall be held in the Civic Plaza and shall be open to the public and to the press.
3. The Chairperson or any five members of the Commission may call special meetings of the Commission upon at least five business days’ notice to each member of the Commission and such notice shall be posted at the City Hall for a like period.  The call for the meeting shall state the agenda.
4. Termination of membership. The termination of a Commission member is governed by Minnesota State Law.  However, these rules shall serve to guide this Commission in the manner of procedure of termination.
5. If any one of the following events occurs, the Commission Secretary, at the direction of the Commission Chairperson, shall submit a written certification of sufficient facts immediately to the Chief Judge of the Hennepin County District Court:
6. Resignation of a member.
   1. A member has ceased to be a resident voter of the City of Bloomington.
   2. Upon recommendation of the majority of the full Commission, a member has failed to perform any of her/his duties as a Commission member. 
   3. If a member has missed four consecutive meetings of the Commission without being excused by the Commission.  For this purpose, the Chairperson shall report at each meeting the name/s of the member/s from whom and when a notice was received prior to the meeting. Contact may be made through the Chair, Vice Chair, or Secretary. Excused absences must be noted in the minutes.

The Commission shall hold an organizational meeting at its May meeting each year in order to:

1. Elect a Chairperson
2. Elect a Vice Chairperson
3. Appoint a Recording Secretary
4. Appoint an Attorney
5. Review program of work
6. Review annual report

The agenda, reports and other information shall be forwarded to the members of the Commission five business days in advance of a regular meeting or three days before a special meeting.  

The presiding officer of the Commission shall be the Chairperson.  The Chairperson shall preserve strict order and decorum at all regular and special meetings of the Commission.  She/he shall state every question coming before the Commission, announce the decision of the Commission on all subjects and decide all questions of order, subject, however, to an appeal to the Commission in which event a majority vote of the Commission shall govern and conclusively determine such questions of order.  The Chairperson may vote on all questions or resolutions or contracts.  The Chairperson shall sign all documents adopted by the Commission.  In the event of the absence of the Chairperson, the Vice Chairperson shall sign all documents, resolutions, or contracts as then adopted.

The Chairperson, or in the Chairperson’s absence, the Vice Chairperson, shall take the chair precisely at the hour appointed for the meeting, and call the Commission to order.  In the absence of either the Chairperson or Vice Chairperson, the Recording Secretary shall call the meetings to order, and a temporary chairperson shall be elected.  Upon the arrival of the Chairperson or Vice Chairperson, the temporary chairperson shall relinquish the chair, upon the conclusion of the business immediately before the Commission.

Before proceeding with the business of the Commission, the Secretary shall call the roll of the members and the names of those present shall be entered in the minutes.

Eight (8) members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the Commission but a smaller number may adjourn from time to time.

All official meetings of the Commission shall be open to the public and the press.  The order of business shall be as follows: Call to order

1.  Roll Call
2.  Election of officers and appointments
3.  Approve minutes
4.  Unfinished business
5.  New business
6.  Hearings and resolutions
7.  Communications
8.  Other business
9.  Adjournment

Each officer shall assume the duties of the office immediately upon election or appointment.

1. The Recording Secretary of the Commission shall keep the record of all meetings.
2. A rough draft of the minutes shall be sent to the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson within two weeks after the meeting.
3. The corrected rough draft must be returned to the Secretary within one week or it will be considered approved for sending to the Commission.  
4. The minutes shall be sent to all members two weeks later or within five weeks of the meeting.

1. Presiding officer may debate and vote, etc.  The Chairperson or any other member of the Commission that may be presiding, may move, second, and debate from the chair, subject only to such limitations as are imposed on all members and shall not be deprived of any of the rights and privileges of a Commission member by reason of acting as the presiding officer.
2. Getting the floor. Every member desiring to speak shall address the Chair, and upon recognition by the presiding officer, shall confine remarks to the question under debate.  All members must be recognized in the order that the member requests recognition.  There shall be no limit to the number of times a member can speak.
3. Interruptions.  A member, once recognized, shall not be interrupted when speaking, unless it is to call the speaker to order or as herein otherwise provided.  If a member, while speaking, be called to order, the member shall cease speaking until the question of order be determined and if in order, the member shall be permitted to proceed.
4. Remarks of a Commission member - when entered in minutes.  A member may request, through the Chair, the privilege of having an abstract of the member’s statement on any subject under consideration by the Commission entered in the minutes.  If the Commission consents, such statements shall be entered in the minutes.
5. Synopsis of debate - when entered in the minutes.  The Secretary may be directed by the Chairperson to enter in the minutes a synopsis of the discussion on any question coming regularly before the Commission.

Any person desiring to address the Commission shall first secure the permission of the presiding officer.

1. Written communications. Interested parties or their authorized representatives may address the Commission by written communications in regard to matters then under discussion by the Commission at that meeting.
2. Oral communications. Interested parties or their authorized legal representatives may address the Commission by oral communications on any matter concerning the Commission’s business, or any matter over which the Commission has control; provided, however, that preference shall be given to those persons who have notified the Chairperson or the Recording Secretary in advance of their desire to speak in order that they may appear on the agenda.
3. Reading of protests, etc. Interested persons or their authorized representatives may address the Commission by reading protests, petitions or communications relating to matters then under consideration by the Commission at that meeting.
4. Submission.  Submission to the Charter Commission shall be deemed to have occurred when a document or petition is delivered in person to the Chair or Recording Secretary at a regular, special, or emergency meeting of the Charter Commission, or delivered to the Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, or Recording Secretary of the Commission by first class U.S. mail at Civic Plaza.
5. Filing.  Filing with the Charter Commission shall be deemed to have occurred when a document or petition is delivered in person to the Chair or Recording Secretary at a regular, special, or emergency meeting of the Charter Commission, or delivered to the Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, or Recording Secretary of the Commission by first class U.S. mail at Civic Plaza.

After a motion is made by the Commission, no person shall address the Commission without first securing the permission of a majority of the Commission to do so.

Each person addressing the Commission shall step forward, shall give one’s name for the records, and unless further time is granted by the Commission, shall limit one’s address to three minutes.  All remarks shall be addressed to the Commission as a body and not to any member thereof.  No person, other than the Commission and the person having the floor, shall be permitted to enter into any discussion, either directly or through a member of the Commission, without the permission of the presiding officer.

Unless a member of the Commission states that the member is not voting due to a disqualifying conflict of interest, the member’s silence shall be recorded as an affirmative vote.

1. By Commission Members
   
   While the Commission is in session, the members must preserve order and decorum, and a member shall neither, by conversation or otherwise, delay or interrupt the proceedings or the Commission nor disturb any member while speaking or refuse to obey the orders of the Commission or its presiding officer, except as otherwise herein provided. Commission members must be respectful of diverse opinions. Personal attacks will not be tolerated. Members must honor the role of the Presiding Officer to focus discussion on current agenda items. Objections to the Presiding Officer or other members’ actions should be voiced politely and with reason. Care must be exercised to define and constrain discussions among members to the facts and relevant information. The Presiding Officer and members have a public stage to show how individuals with disparate points of view can find common ground and seek a compromise that benefits the community as a whole. The Presiding Officer and members are role models for residents, business people, and other stakeholders involved in public debate. Members should support the majority opinion of the Commission once a vote has been taken.
    

2. By Members of the Public

   No one may address the Charter Commission unless recognized by the Presiding Officer. Oral communications at Commission meetings concerning matters that are otherwise on the agenda are governed by Section 13 (Time Limit) of these Rules. Staff and members of the public attending meetings of the Commission must refrain from any unnecessary conversation or distracting activity. Members of the public attending a Commission meeting must observe the same rules of order and decorum applicable to the Commission. Staff may exceed the three minute limit when required to provide the requested or other information.

All special Commission committees shall be appointed by the presiding officer, unless otherwise directed by the Commission.

 Any member shall have the right to have the reasons for the member’s dissent from, or protest against, any action of the Commission entered in the minutes.

1.  No resolution shall relate to more than one subject.

 All reports and resolutions or a copy shall be filed with the Recording Secretary of the Commission and entered with the minutes.

By unanimous consent of all Commission members present, these rules may be waived.

A motion to adjourn shall always be in order and decided without debate.

The most current version of Robert’s Rules of Order shall be accepted as an authority on parliamentary practice on matters not specifically covered.