HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommittee of the Whole February 12 20081 WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
2 Committee Of The Whole
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4 February 12, 2008
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7 Council Chair Carl Weimer called the meeting to order at 6:45 p.m. in the Council
8 Conference Room, 311 Grand Avenue, Bellingham, Washington.
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10 Present: Absent:
11 Barbara Brenner None
12 Bob Kelly
13 Sam Crawford
14 Seth Fleetwood
15 Laurie Caskey- Schreiber
16 L. Ward Nelson
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19 1. ORDINANCE REPEALING AND REPLACING WHATCOM COUNTY CODE 2.02,
20 COUNTY COUNCIL (AB2008 -076)
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22 Caskey- Schreiber stated cell phone use will be prohibited within the confines of the
23 Council Chambers.
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25 Brenner stated she's fine with whatever they do.
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27 Dana Brown - Davis, Clerk of the Council, stated most of the information is what the
28 Council has done for a long time. The rules and procedures were scattered in different
29 places, so she brought everything together in the code. It's easier to follow. She added
30 two sections, which are the general rules of meetings and the decorum of debate.
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32 Nelson stated it also allows the chair to make motions.
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34 Weimer stated he supports the ordinance.
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36 Fleetwood moved to amend section 2.02.060(F), "...no other member shall hold
37 discourse and shall not make faces, which may interrupt...." Every time he speaks, he gets
38 distracted because someone rolls their eyes at him.
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40 Crawford stated it's unavoidable.
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42 The committee did not vote on the motion.
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44 Weimer asked if it's always been allowed that a member of the audience can pull
45 something off the Consent Agenda. Brown -Davis stated that has always been allowed.
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47 Nelson asked if they could call a question. He asked if the ordinance changes that.
48 Brown -Davis stated that hasn't changed.
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50 Crawford stated that usually only the chair can call for the question.
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52 Fleetwood moved to amend 2.02.060(B) to be able to call each other "Mr.," "Ms.,
53 or "Mrs." as an alternative to call each other "Council member,"
Committee of the Whole, 2/12/2008, Page 1
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2 Nelson stated the idea is to set a level of respectability to the Council so the
3 audience holds the same respect. The motion is appropriate. That respect should also
4 apply to County staff.
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6 Crawford stated he agrees with the motion.
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8 The committee concurred with the motion.
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10 Crawford referenced section 2.02.060(H). To his knowledge, that hasn't been
11 Council practice. Brown -Davis stated that motion has been allowed in Sturais.
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13 Crawford stated it would take five votes to approve that motion, and they shouldn't
14 do it that often.
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16 Fleetwood stated that when someone calls the question, the Council is supposed to
17 vote on it. It usually has the same effect.
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19 Brenner stated that's supposed to happen after people are done talking.
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21 Crawford referenced section 2.02.065(D). He asked what that section means.
22 Brown -Davis stated she pulled that section out of Sturgis.
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24 Crawford explained an example of how that section could be applied.
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26 Kelly stated Sturgis allows certain instances that allow a member to interrupt. There
27 aren't many.
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29 Nelson stated this ordinance also protects the Chair.
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31 Crawford referenced section 2.02.190. He doesn't recall that ever ,happening.
32 Brown -Davis stated that section has been in the County Code for a long time.
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34 Crawford asked for an example of when rules would be suspended.
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36 Nelson stated that they could, for instance, allow cell phones to be allowed during a
37 meeting, and vote to suspend that rule.
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39 Crawford asked if a councilmember could ask to suspend the rules and allow two -
40 minute testimony instead of three - minute testimony if 500 people show up at a meeting, for
41 example.
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43 Nelson stated that's correct.
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45 Brenner asked if the Council is supposed to have a public hearing on this ordinance.
46 Brown -Davis stated it doesn't. The ordinance doesn't affect anyone other than the Council.
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48 Weimer stated the Council will vote on this ordinance at the regular Council meeting.
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50 Nelson stated he thanks Council Clerk Brown -Davis for a job well done. Brown -Davis
51 stated she thanks Councilmember Nelson and Deputy Clerk Marina Engels for their help on
52 the ordinance.
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Committee of the Whole, 2/12/2008, Page 2
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OTHER BUSINESS
ADJOURN
The meeting adjourned at approximately 7:00 p.m.
Jill Nixon, Minutes Transcription
The Council approved these minutes on February 26 , 2008.
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Committee of the Whole, 2/12/2008, Page 3