2014-06-16 Special - Laserfiche WebLink

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Glickert, he moved to leave Citizen Participation section the same, was seconded by Mr. Sharpe and the motion carried unanimously. Mr. Sharpe stated that the concept of allowing individuals to speak on agenda items has always been a part of these proceedings. Mr. Jennings stated that he appreciated and looked forward to conducting good dialogue with all members of this Council. Dr. Carr stated that she had only learned about the proposed amendments to Council’s rule on Thursday and her understanding had been that they pertained to ideals related to restoring order to Council meetings. She stated that since there has not been a study session to review these issues in advance she would like to make a motion to have each one of the revisions considered individually. Seconded by Mr. Crow. The motionfailed by a majority of nay votes with aye votes from Councilmembers Carr and Crow. CITIZEN’S COMMENTS Mayor Welsch reminded members of the audience that if they would like to speak to Council on agenda or non-agenda items they should fill out a Speaker Request form that can be found to the left of the door into the Chamber. Speakers should indicate if they want to speak on an agenda or a non-agenda item, and note the agenda item number on the form. The completed form should be placed in the trays in front of the City Clerk and comments should be limited to five minutes. She stated that Council cannot discuss personnel matters, legal or real estate issues in public sessions. Questions raised at this meeting will not be immediately responded to by Council or the City Manager however responses will be provided by an appropriate person as quickly as possible. Citizens who wish to make a comment may do so during either of the Citizen’s Participation sections on the agenda or if they choose to speak on a specific agenda item, they will be called to the podium at the proper time. Mayor Welsch stated that it is Council’s intent to conduct their meetings in a manner that is at all times respectful to members of staff, the community and fellow City Councilmembers. Therefore personal attacks on Councilmembers and staff will be ruled out of order. Mayor Welsch then thanked Superintendent Joylynn Wilson for providing this statement which is read at every University City School Board meeting, and has been revised for use at Council meetings. Kurt Martin, 410 Melville, University City, MO Mr. Martin thanked the Mayor and members of City Council for the time and energy that they put into the governance of this City. He stated that when he heard that Councilmembers Sharpe and Jennings had called a special meeting he was encouraged that someone was taking a leadership role in resolving the issues that this Council faces. He learned that the meeting had actually been called to silence those voices that speak to the problems. Mr. Martin stated that the two proposed changes, silences the opposition and reduces the transparency of Council’s actions by eliminating the longstanding tradition of recording notes of what is said at these meetings. The change that most concerned him is the one that increases the number of Councilmembers needed to put a resolution on the agenda. He stated that the long-term impact of this proposed change is extremely troubling because each ward is represented by two members of Council and increasing the number of Councilmembers required to put an issue on the table to three, would potentially eliminate the ability for representatives of an entire ward to have their concerns deliberated. Mr. Martin stated that this is a very dangerous act for a City that prides itself on its diversity and equal treatment of all individuals. He strongly urged Council to resolve the current issues by reaching across the aisle and working together. 2