Written by Jerry Lindsey.
Mayor Scott Vandermyde swears in the new members of the Morrison City Council (Standing: City Clerk Mike Hemmer, Greg Kruse, Sadonna Mahaffey, Mat Tichler, Todd Schlegel, and Vern Tervelt.)
The Monday, May 8, 2023, meeting of the Morrison City Council was opened with the swearing-in of two newly elected members and three re-elected members, plus another term of serving as City Clerk for Mike Hemmer. Newly members were Todd Schlegel and Mat Tichler; re-elected members were Greg Kruse, Sadonna Mahaffey, and Vern Tervelt.
The first Action Item offered for the new Council’s consideration was the street closure request, submitted by the Department of Fun. The request was intended to allow the Glow Parade on Main Street on Saturday, May 20, 2023, from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. The request was unanimously approved.
Additional Action Items offered to the Council were:
1. Approval of the purchase of tables, podium, and chairs to be used for future City Council meetings in the Community Room at the cost of $16,316.50. (The motion passed with Nays from Mahaffey and Kruse)
2. Sealcoating of the Sports Complex parking lot and paths. (Action tabled due to a Council member’s challenge of the proposed bidding process)
3. Approval to pay a statement related to the current water meter replacement project of $125,343.00. The motion was unanimously approved.
4. Approval to pay an increase in an expense related to the water meter replacement project of $1970. The motion was unanimously approved.
The evening was enhanced with the comments from Dawn Tubbs, Geneseo Office Manager for State Senator Win Toller. She briefly introduced the intents of the newly-assigned Senator and invited the City authorities to use the Senator to assist in any future community developments.
A concern that has been injected into previous City Council meetings concerning Public Comments. Proper desired guidelines were defined, by the printing and publishing of the “Rules Pertaining to Recording Public Meetings & Public Comment.” This list follows and will be enforced on all future meetings of the Morrison City Council.
CITY OF MORRISON ~ COUNCIL MEETING
Rules Pertaining to Recording Public Meetings & Public Comments
RECORDINGS: Pursuant to the Open Meetings Act, public meetings may be recorded, and allows for the public body to regulate such recordings. Once announced by the Mayor to disclose, any person wishing to record a public meeting shall first announce to the City Council their intention to record and provide their full name. Any device used to record shall not impede, interfere, or otherwise disrupt the normal process of a public meeting.
PUBLIC COMMENT: City Council meetings are legislative sessions of the corporate authorities held for the specific purpose of conducting the business of the City. City of Morrison Council meetings are not public forums for purposes of a person’s First Amendment Right to Free Speech.
Public comments shall be allowed according to meeting agendas and, by its rules, establishes the ability and limited purpose of addressing the Council with concerns or comments regarding City business. City business means those matters for which the City Council has jurisdiction or the authority to act upon. Matters that do not pertain to City business will not be heard.
When addressing the City Council for Public Comment, the following rules shall be strictly adhered to.
1) Those wishing to address the City Council during the public section of the meeting shall sign in, providing their name, address, and the topic or concern being addressed.
2) No person shall speak for longer than five minutes unless allowed permission from the Mayor. Public Comments shall be timed accordingly by the Mayor (or their designee.)
3) The Mayor may terminate or suspend Public Comment at any time.
4) All Public Comments shall be addressed to the Council as a whole. No comments may be addressed to individual Council members, the City Administrator, members of City staff, or other members of the public.
5) There shall be no debate on any issue raised during Public Comment.
6) Matters raised under Public Comment may be referred to City staff by the Mayor for review and future response. The City Council or City staff may not provide a response to the comment or concern at the time it is raised, as additional research may be required to appropriately respond to such comment or concern.
8) Any person called “out of order” by the Mayor shall immediately stop speaking and shall abide by the Mayor’s direction.
9) Outbursts or disruptions by the public at City Council meetings are prohibited. Audience members are asked to keep their voices to a minimum, so as not to disturb the business being conducted by the City Council.
10) Should hand-outs, literature, or information be presented by the public at the meeting, a minimum of 15 copies shall be made available to the Mayor, Alderpersons, City Clerk, City Attorney, and City staff.
11) In the event the City Council meets remotely, rules describing protocol for the Public Comment section of the meeting shall be disseminated in conjunction with the posting of such meeting’s agenda.
12) Any person who fails to abide by the rules of proper decorum, who interferes with the orderly conduct of business, or who persists in disorderly, disruptive conduct may be removed from the meeting and may be subject to arrest