Attending a City
Council Meeting
|
- Councilmember Georgia Boggs
- Councilmember TBA
- Councilmember Daniel VandenHeede
- Councilmember Robert Durm
- Councilmember David Mann
- Councilmember William Weimer
- Councilmember Scott Clark
- Councilmember William Skalla
- Mayor Michael McCauslin
- City Administrator Richard Huff
- City Attorney Robert Landgraf, Jr.
|
If you are attending a Council meeting for the
first time, the following information will be helpful:
The meeting will be opened by the Chairman (the
Mayor or the Mayor Pro-Tem in the Mayor's absence).
Everyone in attendance stands for the Pledge of
Allegiance.
Agenda
Items to be considered by the Council are listed
on the Agenda. Because there are so many matters for the Council to
discuss, the agenda is prepared in advance. Items will be considered
in the order listed on the agenda. Items for Council consideration
are submitted to the City Administrator on the Monday Noon prior to a
regularly scheduled 2nd or 4th Monday Council meeting.
Public Hearings
Public hearings are scheduled near the beginning
of the meeting. We have found that many people do not understand the
procedures which the Council uses for conducting public hearings.
Individuals often come to Council meetings expecting a public
hearing to be held when an item which they are concerned about first
appears on the Agenda.
If this item requires a public hearing (see partial list
below) the only action the Council will normally take when it is
first considered is to set the date for a public hearing.
This date may be two or three weeks later. The
time is necessary to publish notices in the newspaper which are
required by law. It also gives the Council and the City
Administration time to gather the necessary information and official
documents.
Public hearings are held as part of the following
actions:
- Requests for Zoning changes or changes in the zoning
ordinance;
- Consideration of special assessment districts for water
sewer, lighting, street paving or sidewalk installation;
- Consideration to vacate streets, alleys, public walkways,
drains, sidewalks, etc.
- Consideration of the annual City Budget.
|
| Note:
Everyone addressing the Council as part of the Citizen
Participation or Public Hearing portion should give
their name and address first for the official record
of the meeting. A microphone is provided at the center of
the room to enable the entire audience to hear your
comments. |
|
Note: Public hearings are not
usually held for new ordinances or changes to existing ordinances
except for those items listed above. Instead these are introduced at
one Council meeting and adoption of the Ordinance change is usually
considered at the next meeting.
Citizen Participation
People often come to Council meetings expecting to present their
particular problem and get an immediate answer. Our experience has
shown that many of these problems could have been solved much faster
if they had been taken up directly with the city department
providing the service.
Anyone presenting a problem as "Citizen Participation" should
realize that the Council will not have specific information
available during the meeting to provide a complete reply.
Thank you for your interest and participation. All meetings of
the City Council are open to the public and are usually attended by
members of the new media.
Regular meetings are scheduled for the 2nd and 4th Monday of each
month at 6:00 pm in City Council Chambers which is located within
the Niles Fire Station Complex at 1345 E. Main Street.
Committee of the Whole
The purpose of the City Council’s Committee of
the Whole is to serve as the foundation to provide a forum for
detailed analysis and exploration of citywide issues. The
membership consists of the Mayor and all Council members.
Meeting Times: As needed
|
