Chapter 2.15A
CITY COUNCIL RULES OF PROCEDURE
Sections:
2.15A.020 Parliamentary authority.
2.15A.030 Organization of City Council.
2.15A.040 Removal of Mayor or Deputy Mayor from office.
2.15A.080 Council meeting order of business.
2.15A.090 Standing committees.
2.15A.110 Training and meeting reimbursement policies.
2.15A.130 Effect/waiver of rules.
2.15A.010 Purpose and effect.
The rules of procedure set forth in this chapter constitute the official rules of procedure for the Maple Valley City Council and are adopted for the sole benefit of the members of the City Council to assist in the orderly conduct of Council business. These rules of procedure do not grant rights or privileges to members of the public or third parties. (Ord. O-19-659 § 2; Ord. O-15-576 § 2).
2.15A.020 Parliamentary authority.
Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (the most current edition) shall be the parliamentary authority, except when superseded by these rules of procedure or State law. A copy of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (the most current edition) is maintained in the office of the Maple Valley City Clerk. Training to be provided within the first quarter following the municipal general election. (Ord. O-19-659 § 2; Ord. O-15-576 § 2).
2.15A.030 Organization of City Council.
Pursuant to State law, the City of Maple Valley is represented by seven publicly elected City Councilmembers and the Councilmembers elect from among the membership a Mayor to serve as the Chair of the Council. The Mayor retains all rights, privileges, and immunities of a member of the Council.
A. Swearing In of New Councilmembers. New Councilmembers shall be sworn in by a member of the judiciary, the City Clerk, or any other officer or notary public authorized to administer oaths, without charge therefor. The oath of office must be taken as the last step of qualification as defined in RCW 29A.04.133 but may be taken either: (1) up to 10 days prior to the scheduled date of assuming office; or (2) at the last regular meeting of the governing body of the applicable county, city, town, or special district held before the winner is to assume office. The term of incumbents ends and the term of successors begins after the successor is elected and qualified, and the term commences immediately after December 31st following the election.
B. Election of Mayor and Deputy Mayor. At the first meeting of the year following the general election to fill City Council positions, the Council shall elect a Mayor and Deputy Mayor for a term of two years. The election process shall be as follows:
1. The City Clerk shall serve as the Chair for the nomination process for the position of Mayor, which position shall be elected first. The Chair will repeat each nomination until all nominations have been made. When it appears that no one else wishes to make any further nominations, the Chair will ask again for further nominations and if there are none, the Chair will declare the nominations closed. A motion to close the nominations is not necessary.
2. No one Councilmember may nominate more than one person for a given office until every member wishing to nominate a candidate has an opportunity to do so.
3. Nominations do not require a second.
4. After nominations have been closed, each nominee will have an opportunity to speak. If the nominee chooses to speak, it may not be for longer than two minutes. Then voting for Mayor will take place in the order nominations were made. Councilmembers will be asked for a voice vote and a raise of hands. As soon as one of the nominees receives a majority vote of the entire membership (four votes), then the Chair will declare that individual elected. No votes will be taken on the remaining nominees.
5. If none of the nominees receives a majority vote of the entire membership, the Chair will call for nominations again and repeat the process until a single candidate receives a majority vote of the entire membership. A Mayor shall be elected before the office of Deputy Mayor is opened for nominations.
6. A tie vote results in a failed nomination.
7. If there is only one nominee for the position, the Chair will declare the nominee elected.
8. Once the Mayor has been elected, the City Clerk will turn the chair over to the Mayor and nominations and election of the Deputy Mayor shall proceed as described in subsections (B)(1) through (7) of this section. (Ord. O-19-659 § 2; Ord. O-15-576 § 2).
2.15A.040 Removal of Mayor or Deputy Mayor from office.
Once a Mayor or Deputy Mayor has been elected at the first Council meeting of the biennium, that person may only be removed from the office of Mayor or Deputy Mayor, prior to the expiration of the biennium, by a majority plus one vote of the entire membership (a vote of five members). Any such removal by the Council of the Mayor or Deputy Mayor shall have no effect on that person’s ability to continue to hold his/her office as Councilmember. In case of removal, the Council shall immediately elect a new Mayor or Deputy Mayor from among its members. Prior to any vote to remove a Mayor or Deputy Mayor, the Council shall meet in executive session with the Mayor or Deputy Mayor to receive and evaluate the complaint or charge against the Mayor or Deputy Mayor that provides the possible basis for removal. However, upon the request of the Mayor or Deputy Mayor, the discussion and/or evaluation of the complaint or charge shall occur in open session. (Ord. O-19-659 § 2; Ord. O-15-576 § 2).
2.15A.050 Vacancy.
In the event the Mayor is unable to serve the remainder of the term, a new Mayor shall be elected at the next regular meeting. In the event the Deputy Mayor is unable to serve the remainder of the term, a new Deputy Mayor shall be elected at the next regular meeting. (Ord. O-19-659 § 2; Ord. O-15-576 § 2).
2.15A.060 Duties of officers.
A. Chair. The Mayor, or in his or her absence, the Deputy Mayor, shall be the Chair of the Council. In the temporary absence of the Mayor, the Deputy Mayor shall perform the duties and responsibilities of the Mayor with regard to conduct of meetings and emergency business. In the absence of both the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor at any Council meeting, the Council shall appoint one of the members of the Council to act as a temporary Chair.
B. Meeting Duties. In each meeting of the City Council, it shall be the duty of the Chair to:
1. Call the meeting to order.
2. Keep the meeting to its order of business.
3. Control discussion in an orderly manner.
a. Give every Councilmember who wishes an opportunity to speak when recognized by the Chair.
b. Permit audience participation at the appropriate times.
c. Require all speakers to speak to the question and to observe the rules of order.
d. Request for Written Motions. Motions shall be reduced to writing when requested by the Chair of the Council or any member of the Council. All resolutions and ordinances shall be in writing.
e. The Chair may at his or her discretion call the Deputy Mayor or any member to take the chair so the Chair may make a motion or for other good cause yield the chair.
4. State each motion before it is discussed and before it is voted upon.
5. Put motions to a vote and announce the outcome.
6. Decide all questions of order, subject to the right of appeal to the Council by any member. (Ord. O-19-659 § 2; Ord. O-15-576 § 2).
2.15A.070 Meeting provisions.
All Council meetings shall comply with the requirements of the Open Public Meetings Act (Chapter 42.30 RCW). All regular business meetings and special meetings of the Council shall be open to the public.
A. Quorum. At all Council meetings, a majority of the Council (four members) shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
B. Seating Arrangement. The Mayor shall sit at the center of the Council, and the Deputy Mayor shall sit next to the Mayor. Other Councilmembers are to be seated in a manner acceptable to Council. If there is a dispute, seating shall be in position order.
C. Forms of Address. The Mayor shall be addressed as “Mayor (surname)” or “Your Honor.” The Deputy Mayor shall be addressed as “Deputy Mayor (surname).” Members of the Council shall be addressed as “Councilmember, Councilor, Councilman or Councilwoman (surname).”
D. Dissents and Protests. Any Councilmember shall have the right to express dissent from or protest against any ordinance or resolution of the Council.
E. Voting. The votes during all Council meetings shall be conducted as follows:
1. Unless otherwise provided for by statute, ordinance, or resolution, all votes shall be taken by voice, except that at the request of any Councilmember, a roll call vote shall be taken by the Clerk.
2. In case of a tie vote on any motion, the motion shall be considered defeated.
3. Unless a member of the Council specifically states that he or she is abstaining from a vote of the Council, his or her silence during a vote of the Council shall be recorded as an affirmative vote. One need not state a reason for abstaining from a vote.
4. Community Organization Request for Material Aid.
a. Annually, prior to acting on communication organization grant requests, the Councilors should be reminded of their obligations under Chapter 42.23 RCW.
b. Pursuant to RCW 42.23.030, a municipal officer may not vote in the authorization, approval, or ratification of a contract in which he or she is beneficially interested even though one of the exemptions allowing the awarding of such a contract applies. The interest of the municipal officer must be disclosed to the governing body of the municipality and noted in the official minutes or similar records of the municipality before the formation of the contract.
c. Pursuant to RCW 42.23.040, a municipal officer is not interested in a contract, within the meaning of RCW 42.23.030, if the officer has only a remote interest in the contract, as with, for example, a Councilor who is also a nonsalaried officer of a nonprofit community organization. But such remote interests must still be disclosed during the Council meeting. Each Councilor who makes such a remote interest disclosure shall not participate in the discussion of or otherwise attempt to influence the particular request presented to the City Council, but may still vote on the individual award of funds to the community organization for which they serve as an officer; provided, that the affirmative vote to award such funds must be sufficient for such purpose without counting the vote(s) of the officer(s) having the remote interest. The official minutes shall reflect the disclosures made and the results of the vote by roll call.
d. All Councilors may vote on an ordinance to adopt the City budget regardless of whether the budget contains appropriations related to contracts in which Councilors may be beneficially or remotely interested.
F. Attendance. The Council shall have hybrid regular business meetings, allowing for both in-person and remote simultaneous attendance.
1. Remote Attendance. Members of the Council are permitted to attend Council meetings remotely.
a. Form. Remote attendance may include any form of non-in-person attendance including teleconference, virtual attendance or the like, that is compatible with the City’s meeting infrastructure. In order to ensure full participation by the remote attendee(s), the remote attendee(s) must be able to hear all speakers at the meeting and the speakers must be able to hear the remote attendee(s). Should an attendee’s virtual connection become lost during the meeting, the meeting shall continue unless quorum is no longer met. If quorum is no longer met, the Mayor shall adjourn the meeting.
2. Excused Absences. Members of the Council may be excused from attending a City Council meeting by emailing the City Council using the BCC field prior to the meeting. If the member is unable to email the City Council, the member shall contact the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, City Manager or City Clerk, who shall convey the message to the City Council. Following roll call, the Chair shall inquire if there is a motion to excuse the member. This motion shall be nondebatable, but each Councilor should feel free to vote their conscience as to whether the absence should be excused. Upon passage of such motion by a majority of members present, the absent member shall be considered excused and the Clerk shall make an appropriate notation in the minutes. Councilmembers who do not follow the above process shall be considered unexcused and it shall be so noted in the minutes. In accordance with RCW 35A.12.060, a Council position shall become vacant if the Councilmember fails to attend three consecutive regular meetings of the Council without being excused by the Council.
G. General Decorum.
1. While the Council is in session, the members shall preserve order and decorum, and a member shall neither, by conversation or otherwise, delay or interrupt the proceedings or the peace of the Council, nor disrupt any member while speaking, nor refuse to obey the orders of the Council or the Chair, except as otherwise provided in these rules. All rulings of the Chair are subject to appeal by the Council.
2. If the Council is disrupted during its meeting by a member of the audience who refuses to behave in a manner that allows the Council’s business to continue in an orderly manner, the Council shall recess the meeting until such time that it is able to conduct business in an orderly manner. In some cases, it may be appropriate to recess more than once and/or to request assistance from a duly authorized law enforcement officer; provided, that any law enforcement officer present shall use his/her own discretion in determining whether the disorderly individual should be removed from the premises. Examples of such disruptive behavior may include, but are not limited to: refusing to stop speaking when their comment or testimony period has expired; speaking in loud voices directed at no one or indiscriminately at others attending a meeting causing the others in attendance to be unable to hear the proceedings; using signs that block the view of others attending the meeting. During a Council meeting, no person shall be allowed to address the Council while it is in session without the recognition of the Chair.
H. Confidentiality. Councilmembers shall keep confidential all written materials and verbal information provided to them during executive sessions to ensure that the City’s position is not compromised. Confidentiality also includes information provided to Councilmembers outside of executive sessions when the information is considered to be exempt from disclosure under State law.
I. Adjournment. Council meetings shall adjourn no later than 9:30 p.m. The adjournment time established hereunder may be extended to a later time certain upon approval of a motion by a majority plus one of the Council. Any Councilmember may request at 9:00 p.m. that the body review agenda priorities and make adjustments to the agenda if approved by a majority of the entire council.
J. City Clerk. The Clerk or an authorized Deputy City Clerk shall attend all Council Meetings. If the Clerk and the Deputy City Clerk are absent from any Council Meeting, the Chair shall ask the City Manager to appoint a Clerk for that meeting.
K. Attendance of Officers or Employees. Any City employee shall attend a City Council meeting when requested by the City Manager for clarification or explanation of agenda items.
L. Proclamations. Proclamations shall be drafted to contain at least six whereas clauses to ensure that each Councilor has the opportunity to read aloud at least a portion of the proclamation. The concluding language beginning with “Now Therefore” will typically be read by the Mayor unless the Mayor delegates the reading of that portion to another member of the Council. (Ord. O-21-735 § 1; Ord. O-19-659 § 2; Ord. O-15-576 § 2).
2.15A.080 Council meeting order of business.
A. Order of Business for Regular Business Meetings. The customary order of business for each regular business meeting shall be as follows:
Regular Business Meeting (7:00 p.m.).
1. Call to order.
2. Flag salute, roll call.
3. Public comments.
4. Approval of the agenda.
5. Consent calendar.
6. Public hearings.
7. Board, commission, committee reports.
8. Report of the City Manager.
9. Council reports.
10. Continued business.
11. Ordinances, resolutions, and motions.
12. New business.
13. For the good of the order/requested items for future agendas.
14. Public comment (updated 2010).
15. Announcement of next meeting.
16. Executive session.
17. Adjournment.
B. Council Agenda. The Council prefers to vote on items that are on the published agenda, but reserves its right to vote, or take other action, on other items, as appropriate, at any regular meeting of the City Council, even when the item is not on the agenda.
C. Consent Calendar.
1. The City Manager in consultation with the Chair shall place matters on the consent calendar which: (a) have been previously discussed by the Council; or (b) are so routine or technical in nature that passage is likely, e.g., minutes and audit committee reports
2. The motion to adopt the consent calendar shall be nondebatable and have the effect of moving to adopt all items on the consent calendar. Since adoption of any item on the consent calendar implies unanimous consent, any member of the Council shall have the right to remove any item from the consent calendar. If any matter is withdrawn, the Chair shall place the item at an appropriate place on the agenda for deliberation at the current or future Council meeting.
D. Public Comment.
1. Oral and Written Comments. The Council will take public comment at the regular business meeting(s). The Council may take public comment at special meetings. The Chair will call speakers to the podium in the order written on the public comment sign-up sheet and then will offer the podium to speakers who did not sign up in advance. The Council will take public comment for no more than three minutes per speaker, or no more than five minutes when the speaker is presenting the official position of a recognized organization.
2. Responding to Oral Comments. After the speaker has concluded, the Chair may recognize any member of the Council who may want to obtain the speaker’s contact information to follow-up with the speaker after the meeting. Councilors shall not engage the speaker in a conversation.
Additionally, after a speaker has provided public comment, the Chair may respond to the speaker with one of the following actions:
a. The commentator will be thanked for their input if it is a comment only.
b. City Manager will be directed to follow up if an administrative answer or resolution of a problem is required.
c. The commentator will be requested to provide more information in writing to the City Clerk if further information is needed to clarify or formalize a request. This information will be distributed to the Council before the next regular business meeting or special meeting (if applicable).
d. The item will be referred by the Chair to the City Manager for scheduling on a future regular business meeting agenda or special meeting (if applicable).
e. The item will be placed on that night’s agenda if it is an emergency or is driven by an imminent due date.
The decision as to which alternative to use will be at the discretion of the Chair. The Chair will verbalize a reason for his/her choice. After the Chair’s decision, any Councilmember may make a motion to select one of the other alternatives. If the motion is seconded, it will be discussed and voted upon. Should the motion fail, the Chair may use the previously chosen alternative or may select a different one, again providing a verbal reason.
3. Identification of Speakers. Persons offering public comment shall identify themselves for the record as to name, address, and organization, if applicable.
4. Instructions for Speakers at Public Comment. Public comment instructions for speakers are included in the regular business meeting agenda or special meeting agenda (if applicable) that will be available at the meeting. Speakers will be advised by the Chair that their comments are being recorded.
E. Public Testimony.
1. Rules for Public Testimony during Public Hearings. The following rules shall be observed during any legislative public hearing (one that is not related to a quasi-judicial matter):
a. There is no requirement for an oath for a legislative public hearing. Individuals will be allowed three minutes to speak (or five minutes when presenting the official position of a recognized organization), and each organization shall have only one five-minute presentation. If a speaker purports to speak for an organization, club, or others by suggesting that a number of persons support a position, then such person may be asked to state how that position was developed by the group.
b. The Clerk, or his/her designee, shall be the timekeeper. All public hearings are recorded.
c. Public hearings shall begin as close as possible to, but not earlier than, the time established for the hearing in the agenda and any applicable public notice. The Chair shall declare the public hearing open, and ask for the City staff presentation. Following questions of staff by the Council, any interested person may then be heard for three minutes each. All speakers who sign up on the public hearing roster provided by the City Clerk will be invited to speak before other speakers are invited.
The Chair shall recognize staff comments and questions from the Council, if any, at the conclusion of each speaker’s remarks. The Council may alter the time limits of speakers upon a vote prior to the opening of the hearing.
d. Addressing the Council. During a public hearing, no person shall be allowed to address the Council while it is in session without the recognition of the Chair.
2. Rules for Quasi-Judicial Hearings. All quasi-judicial proceedings shall be recorded. The following additional rules shall be observed during any quasi-judicial public hearing:
a. Public hearings shall begin as close as possible to, but not earlier than, the time established for the hearing in the agenda and any applicable public notice. The Chair shall declare the public hearing open. The City Attorney shall ask each Councilmember to reveal ex parte oral or written communications that occurred prior to the hearing, and will ask each Councilmember to disclose any bias or other potential appearance of fairness issues. Councilmembers shall disclose any ex parte communications, bias, or conflicts of interest. After all disclosures are made, the Chair will ask if any person in the audience wishes to make an appearance of fairness challenge to any Councilmember, or to rebut the contents of an ex parte communication disclosed by any Councilmember.
b. If so, the challenging/rebutting member of the audience will come forward to the lectern and make his/her challenge/rebuttal. The person offering the challenge/rebuttal will be asked to identify him/herself, and state his/her address. Rebuttals must directly respond to the substance of a disclosed ex parte communication. After all challenges have been made, the Chair may ask the City Attorney to advise the Council if any Councilmember should be disqualified from participating in the hearing. This may be done in public or executive session. Any Councilmember choosing to step down as a result of a challenge shall leave the room and not return until after the conclusion of the quasi-judicial matter. After any recused Councilmember leaves, the quasi-judicial hearing shall proceed as follows:
c. The Chair shall ask for the City staff presentation, if applicable. Following questions of staff by the Council, the Council shall determine how much speaking time to allow the proponents and opponents of a proposal collectively, which time shall not be less than 10 minutes per side but could be significantly longer depending on how many people wish to speak. The applicant or petitioner shall make its presentation and may elect to reserve some of its time for rebuttal. Following the presentation of the applicant or petitioner, the person(s) representing an opposing view shall be allowed to speak to the issue.
d. The Chair shall recognize staff comments and questions from the Council, if any, at the conclusion of each speaker’s remarks. After the opponent’s time has been used, the applicant shall be given an opportunity to rebut information and/or argument presented by the opponent(s) or staff to the extent that the applicant reserved time to do so. This opportunity for rebuttal shall not be used to present new information or to address subjects other than issues raised by the opponent(s) or staff. After both sides have had a fair opportunity to present their cases, and the Council’s questions have been answered, the Chair shall declare the public hearing closed. The Council may, however, decide to allow the record to remain open for purposes of written materials to be presented to the Council for a period of time declared by the Council. This shall be decided by the Council and requires a majority vote. Once the public hearing is closed, no person may introduce new substantive information without the Council reopening the public hearing.
e. If the hearing is a quasi-judicial hearing, each speaker will be required to testify under oath.
f. Addressing the Council. During a quasi-judicial hearing, no person shall be allowed to address the Council while it is in session without the recognition of the Chair.
3. The public hearing rules set forth herein are intended to provide general guidance to the City Council as to how both legislative and quasi-judicial hearings should be conducted. They are not intended to be binding upon the City Council, which may see fit to alter the procedures for a particular hearing. These procedures are not intended to convey any legal right for a person to be heard by the City Council in a manner that is not already required by some other law.
F. Agenda Preparation.
1. The Clerk, under direction of the City Manager, will prepare a preliminary agenda for each Council Meeting specifying the time and place of the meeting and setting forth a brief general description of each item to be considered by the Council. The preliminary agenda is subject to review by the Mayor. A Councilor desiring that an item be added to the preliminary agenda should make that request no later than noon two Fridays before the Council meeting for any item requiring staff preparation.
2. Notwithstanding the preliminary agenda, the final agenda for a regular meeting of the Council shall be approved by the Council at the meeting, after considering any motions to amend. The City Attorney should be consulted before amending the agenda at a special meeting.
3. Legally required advertised public hearings will have a higher priority over other agenda items scheduled for convenience rather than for statutory or other reasons.
4. Agenda items that are continued from one meeting to another will have preference on the agenda to the extent possible.
5. It is the intent of the City Council that Council procedures be periodically reviewed as needed. (Ord. O-19-659 § 2; Ord. O-15-576 § 2).
2.15A.090 Standing committees.
The Council shall have the following standing committee: Finance Committee. The committees are not intended to supplant the Council’s role. The purpose statement and assignments from the Council from time to time shall define the purpose and role of each committee. Standing committees shall have a membership of three or fewer Councilmembers, and all meetings shall be open to the public.
A. Finance Committee.
1. Purpose Statement. The purpose of the Finance Committee is to advise the City Council on matters concerning general fiscal and financial operations of the City. This will include, but is not limited to, producing and reviewing budget documents and financial reports, analyzing policy matters related to City finance and review of all vouchers for payment. Members of the Finance Committee are permitted to recommend payment of vouchers for community organizations that have received an appropriation through the annual budget ordinance*, even if the members serve as governing or advisory board members or officers of the agency for which the payment voucher is presented because members are assumed to have complied with rules set forth in MVMC 2.15A.070(E)(4).
The Finance Committee is authorized to approve, on the Council’s behalf, payment of claims and vouchers when the Council does not hold its regularly scheduled City Council business meetings the second or fourth Monday of the month. Ratification of the Finance Committee’s approval will be sought at the next immediate business meeting the Council convenes.
The Finance Committee may from time to time be called upon by the Council to review specific financial questions and make recommendations to the Council regarding possible financial policy revisions.
2. Membership. The Finance Committee shall have a maximum of three members. Appointments shall be made by the Mayor subject to approval by the Council.
3. Quorum. For purposes of audit review, one member shall constitute a quorum. For purposes of specific policy issue recommendations, two members shall constitute a quorum.
4. Meeting Time and Place. The Finance Committee shall review vouchers electronically each Wednesday immediately preceding a regular business meeting of the Council and meet on the third Wednesday of each month from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. to discuss general fiscal and financial operations of the City with recommendations brought to the entire Council for discussion and potential action as necessary. Special meetings may be called as needed. (Ord. O-19-659 § 2; Ord. O-17-617 § 1; Ord. O-15-576 § 2).
*Code reviser’s note: The City now has a biennial budget, as established by Ord. O-16-596. See Chapter 3.01 MVMC.
2.15A.100 Board, committee, commission appointments.
Repealed by Ord. O-21-693. (Ord. O-19-659 § 2; Ord. O-15-576 § 2).
2.15A.110 Training and meeting reimbursement policies.
A. Training and Meeting Budget. The City Council recognizes the need for its members to participate in City government related training opportunities and attend public interest meetings in order to fulfill the various duties and responsibilities of a City Councilmember. Further, the City Council realizes that the requisite training may vary from individual to individual. Therefore, in order to facilitate and promote self-direction of training needs and meeting attendance, the City Council shall annually establish a training and meetings budget for each Councilmember to provide for travel, training, meals, and lodging for training, and attending various meetings throughout the year, subject to the following limitations:
1. Councilor training and meeting reimbursements to each individual Councilor shall not exceed the training and meeting budget established for an individual Councilor without the consent of the majority of the City Council.
2. Training shall be within the State of Washington unless otherwise authorized by the majority of the City Council.
3. Travel, lodging, and meals reimbursements shall be at the same rate and subject to the same restrictions as reimbursements for all City employees as described in the City of Maple Valley Employee Handbook. Application for reimbursements shall be made in a timely manner. Applications for reimbursement should be made immediately following an event or, at minimum, quarterly. Reimbursement applications should be filed no later than February 1st for expenses incurred in the final quarter of the previous year.
B. Meeting Reimbursement Policy. The City will reimburse Councilors for attendance at Greater Maple Valley Chamber of Commerce regular meetings, Suburban Cities Association meetings, meetings of other local and regional governmental agencies, and up to six service club meetings per year per Councilor, providing that the service club meeting topic is a public policy issue related to the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of the City of Maple Valley. All meeting expenditures shall be deducted from each individual Councilors’ training and meeting budget. Councilors who are unable to attend a meeting or event should ensure timely cancellation of reservations or seek alternate representation in order to avoid unnecessary expense to the City. If a Councilor is unable to attend a meeting or event and unable to find alternate representation when the City has already incurred expenses relating to that meeting or event, the Councilor will be presented with an invoice by the City for reimbursement of the expenses incurred by the City. In the event a Councilor wishes to claim a hardship that explains the Councilor’s inability to attend the meeting or event, the Councilor must present the City Manager with an explanation for the hardship, and the City Manager will decide whether to grant the hardship exemption and recall the invoice submitted to the Councilor. A hardship exemption may be requested for illness, death in the family, accident and/or injury, or other, similar circumstance that is a reasonable explanation for the Councilor’s absence at the meeting or event in which the City incurred expense on the Councilor’s behalf. (Ord. O-19-659 § 2; Ord. O-15-576 § 2).
2.15A.120 Police ride-alongs.
Each City Councilor shall be provided the opportunity to accompany police on a ride-along once a year. (Ord. O-19-659 § 2; Ord. O-15-576 § 2).
2.15A.130 Effect/waiver of rules.
Failure of the City Council to adhere to these rules shall not result in any liability to the City, its officers, agents, and employees, nor shall failure to adhere to these rules result in invalidation of any Council act. The City Council may, by a majority vote of those present, determine to temporarily waive any of the provisions herein unless State law requires otherwise. A majority vote of the entire Council membership is required to permanently rescind any of the provisions unless State law requires otherwise. (Ord. O-19-659 § 2; Ord. O-15-576 § 2).