Approval of Agenda for Regular Meeting: Council President Removing Items Off of a Regular Meeting Agenda without the consent of the full council.

[City of Paterson Resident]

Can a Council President Remove an Item Off the Regular Meeting Agenda if the item was Discussed/Presented at the Workshop by a different council member?

Can the council president remove any item they feel like off the regular meeting agenda without the full council's consent?

When it is said that the council present sets the agenda, does that mean that he can remove any items he doesn't want to discuss on the regular meeting?

For example, a council member placed a resolution of no confidence for the Council President, but the council president removed the item off of the regular meeting agenda because the City's legal department advised that he (the council president) has the power to remove or add any item he wants off of the agenda. 

 

[Josh Martin]

To the extent the rules in RONR are controlling, the agenda is set by the assembly itself, by majority vote, at the meeting, and any agenda proposed by the President is simply a suggestion. See RONR (12th ed.) 41:61-63.

But for a City Council, there are almost certainly rules on this matter in the council's rules and/or applicable law, and those rules will take precedence over RONR. Given that I have not read those rules, I do not think I can provide any useful advice on what those rules mean. I would advise the council to consult its clerks and attorneys on this matter. I might suggest specifically asking them how to resolve a situation in which the President and the council disagree on whether an item should be on the agenda for a meeting.

Edited May 9, 2023 at 11:34 AM by Josh Martin

[Richard Brown]

Agreeing with Mr. Martin, this situation will almost certainly be controlled by your own city council rules, your city charter, or controlling state law,  all of which supersede the rules in RONR.