(A) Certain items for inclusion on the agenda which have been reviewed by the City Manager, delivered to the City Council and made available to the public prior to the council meeting, shall be grouped together for action and listed under the consent calendar, when such matters are considered to be noncontroversial or routine in nature. The actions recommended by the City Manager shall be summarized in the agenda statement for each item on the consent calendar. The consent calendar items may be approved by a single motion. Before adoption of the consent calendar the Mayor shall first determine whether any member of the Council, City Staff or the audience desires to remove an item for comment or discussion. In that event, the Mayor may defer action on the particular matter or matters and place them on the regular agenda for consideration in any order deemed appropriate. A request from the public to comment on an item must be filed with the City Clerk/Deputy City Clerk in writing prior to Council consideration of the consent calendar. Any member of the City Council may record a negative vote or an abstention on a consent calendar item without removing the item for discussion by so noting before or after a motion to approve the consent calendar is on the floor.
(B) The written agenda available to the public and to the City Council shall provide an explanation to the public concerning the consent calendar which reads substantially as follows:
"All items listed on the consent calendar are considered to be routine matters or are considered formal documents covering previous City Council instruction. The items listed on the consent calendar may be enacted in the form listed below by one motion and a second. There will be no separate discussion of the consent calendar items unless members of the City Council, the city staff or the public request discussion on specific consent calendar items at the beginning of the meeting. Public requests to discuss consent calendar items must be filed with the City Clerk/Deputy City Clerk before the consent calendar is called."
(Ord. 1205, passed 11-6-96)