(A) Elected officials and employees of the city will treat members of the public with respect and expect the same in return. The city is committed to maintaining orderly administrative processes in keeping city administrative offices free from disruptions. The city is committed to maintaining a safe, productive and harassment-free work environment for all of its city employees.
(B) This section promotes mutual respect, civility and orderly conduct among city employees, elected officials, and the public. This section is not intended to deprive any person of his or her right to freedom of expression, but only to maintain, to the extent possible and reasonable, a safe, productive, and harassment-free workplace for city staff and a safe and non-threatening environment for visitors and customers. The city encourages professional, respectful, and courteous communication and discourages hostile, intimidating, or otherwise disruptive actions.
(C) Rules of civility.
(1) All interactions between city staff, city elected officials and members of the public will be conducted in a respectful manner.
(2) Threats, including threats of violence, will not be tolerated.
(3) Members of the public will refrain from any behavior that disrupts or threatens to disrupt city government operations, including any of the following:
(a) Insulting, demeaning, intimidating, or offensive communications;
(b) Harassment or intimidation of any city staff, city elected official, or member of the public;
(c) Willful destruction or damage of property;
(d) Conduct that threatens or provokes a violent reaction; and
(e) A continuing pattern of disruptive behavior.
(D) Rules of decorum at public meetings.
(1) The city is committed to the democratic process, individual rights of expression, robust debate, and tolerance for disparate views.
(2) The city's boards and commissions, other public bodies and various community groups all convene public meetings to address controversial issues that engender passionate and often conflicting opinions. An atmosphere of incivility and disrespect at these meetings can stifle participation and debate, threaten the quality of decisions and undermine the local democratic process. Therefore, adopting rules of decorum applicable to all public meetings will help ensure that civic engagement and local democracy continue to flourish in Bowling Green.
(3) General guidelines.
(a) The city has numerous public meetings such as City Council meetings, Commission meetings, Board meetings, etc. (hereinafter “Public Meetings”). In order to safeguard participatory democracy in Bowling Green, all persons attending public meetings in Bowling Green should strive to:
1. Treat everyone courteously;
2. Listen to others respectfully;
3. Exercise self-control;
4. Give open-minded consideration to all viewpoints;
5. Focus on the issues and avoid personalizing debate; and
6. Embrace respectful disagreement and dissent as democratic rights that are inherent components of an inclusive public process and tools for forging sound decisions.
(4) Rules of decorum.
(a) No person attending a public meeting shall engage in disorderly or boisterous conduct - including but not limited to threatening, profane, abusive, personal, impertinent, or slanderous utterance - that disturbs, disrupts, or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of the meeting.
(b) All persons attending a public meeting shall obey any lawful order of the presiding officer to enforce the rules of decorum.
(5) Enforcement of the rules of decorum.
(a) The Presiding Officer shall be responsible for maintaining the decorum at the public meeting and for uniformly enforcing the rules of decorum.
(b) In the event that any person breaches the rules of decorum in a manner that disturbs, disrupts, or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of the meeting, the presiding officer shall order that person to cease the offending conduct.
(c) If any person continues to breach the rules of decorum in a manner that disturbs, disrupts, or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of the meeting following an order from the presiding officer to cease the offending conduct, the presiding officer may order that person to leave the public meeting.
(d) If any person refuses to leave the public meeting following an order from the presiding officer to do so, the presiding officer may direct any law enforcement officer on duty to remove that person from the public meeting.
(6) The City Council, all city Boards and Commissions, and city staff shall promote the use of, and adherence to, these guidelines for behavior at all public meetings within the City of Bowling Green.
(Ord. 8935, passed 6-7-2021)