ORDINANCE No. 182515

*Revise Council procedures regarding placement of items on the Council Agenda and order of voting (Ordinance; amend Code Sections 3.02.030 and 3.02.040)

The City of Portland ordains:

Section 1. The Council finds:

1.  Current City code requires items to be placed on the Council agenda in alphabetical order based on the last names of the Commissioners. Council desires to rotate placement of items on the agenda so that the order is modified on a quarterly basis.

2.  Current City code provides that if a question on a point of order is not addressed by the Rules of Council set forth in Code Section 3.02.040, Robert’s Rules of Order shall be considered authority. Robert’s Rules provide that in a roll call vote, votes will be taken in alphabetical order. Council desires to rotate the order of voting so that the order is modified on a quarterly basis.

3.  As provided by these code amendments, the order of voting and placement of items on the Council agenda will be based on numerical order of the Commissioners’ positions and will be modified on January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1 of every calendar year.

NOW, THEREFORE, the Council directs:

a.  Section 3.02.030 B.3.d(2) is amended as follows:

(2)  The Commissioners, in alphabetical order in order of position. Beginning January 1 of every year, items introduced by the Commissioner in Position No. 1 shall be placed first, followed by the Commissioner in Position No. 2, then the Commissioner in Position No. 3, then the Commissioner in Position No. 4. The order of placement shall be modified on the first day of each subsequent calendar quarter so that items introduced by the Commissioner whose Position number was first in order in the previous calendar quarter are placed last in order; and

b.  Subsection 3.02.040 I.12. is added as follows:

12.  Order of Voting. In all roll call votes, the Mayor shall vote last. The roll call for Commissioners’ votes shall be in order of position. Beginning January 1 of every year, the Commissioner in Position No. 1 shall vote first, followed by the Commissioner in Position No. 2, then the Commissioner in Position No. 3, then the Commissioner in Position No. 4. The roll call order shall be modified on the first day of each subsequent calendar quarter so that the Commissioner whose position number was first in the roll call order in the previous calendar quarter shall vote last.

Section 2. The Council declares that an emergency exists because of the need to conduct Council meetings efficiently; therefore, this Ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage by the Council.

Passed by the Council: February 04, 2009

Auditor Gary Blackmer           GARY BLACKMER

LRees:DBetcher            Auditor of the City of Portland  

February 10, 2009            By /s/ Susan Parsons

                  Deputy

BACKING SHEET INFORMATION

AGENDA NO. 105-2009

ORDINANCE/RESOLUTION/COUNCIL DOCUMENT NO. 182515