Disruption by Public during a meeting

[Guest Debbie]

When we are having our regular Council Meetings, we have a member of the public who interrupts and disrupts the meeting.  He started screaming at a Council Member in the last meeting.  Where does is discuss the legalities for taking care of this situation?

[Edgar Guest]

Call the cops. They'll sort out the legalities.

[Transpower]

RONR (11th ed.), p. 648, ll.11-19:  "Any nonmembers allowed in the hall during a meeting, as guests of the organization, have no rights with reference to the proceedings.  An assembly has the right to protect itself from annoyance by nonmembers, and its full authority in this regard--as distinguished from cases involving disorderly members--can be exercised by the chair acting alone.  The chair has the power to require nonmembers to leave the hall, or to order their removal, at any time during the meeting..."

[Weldon Merritt]

RONR (11th ed.), p. 648, ll.11-19:  "Any nonmembers allowed in the hall during a meeting, as guests of the organization, have no rights with reference to the proceedings.  An assembly has the right to protect itself from annoyance by nonmembers, and its full authority in this regard--as distinguished from cases involving disorderly members--can be exercised by the chair acting alone.  The chair has the power to require nonmembers to leave the hall, or to order their removal, at any time during the meeting..."

This certainly is the RONR answer. But since the OP seems to be referring to some sort of public body, the public most likely does have some "rights with reference to the proceedings." However, those rights undoubtedly do not include disrupting the meeting.