(A) Twelve days before a regular meeting of the city council, and seven days before a special city council meeting and any meeting of all other policy bodies, the policy body shall post an agenda containing a meaningful description of each item of business to be transacted or discussed at the meeting. Agendas shall specify for each item of business the proposed action or a statement the item is for discussion, information, or receive-and-file only. These time requirements shall apply to posting on the internet.
(1) Notwithstanding section 2-224(A), items that may be agendized less than 12 days before a regular city council meeting, or less than seven days before other policy body meetings, include but are not limited to the following:
(a) Urgency items, where the public interest and necessity demand immediate city council action to avoid harm to or to safeguard life, health or property, or to mitigate severe economic impacts;
(b) Grant opportunities;
(c) Consideration of appeals, final maps or parcel maps, or other items requiring timely consideration pursuant to statute or ordinance;
(d) Ceremonial items; and
(e) Closed session items as specified in section 2-226.
(B) A description is meaningful if it is sufficiently clear and specific to alert a person of average intelligence and education whose interests are affected by the item that the person may have reason to attend the meeting or seek more information on the item. The description should be brief, concise and written in plain, easily understood English
(C) The agenda shall specify the time and location of the regular meeting and shall be posted in a location that is freely accessible to members of the public.
(D) All agendas shall be posted on the city's website and the city's cable channel and available at the kiosk outside of the city council chambers. Complete agenda packets for each policy body shall be posted on the city's website to the extent fiscally and technologically feasible and shall be available for review at the city clerk's office during normal business hours. The time for compliance with this section shall be in accordance with the time of the posting of the agenda for the meeting.
(E) All supporting documents regarding an agenda item must be included in the agenda packet.
(F) No action or discussion shall be undertaken on any item not appearing on the posted agenda, except that members of a policy body may respond to statements made or questions posed by persons exercising their public testimony rights, to the extent of asking a question for clarification, providing a reference to staff or other resources for factual information, or requesting staff to report back to the body at a subsequent meeting concerning the matter raised by such testimony.
(G) Notwithstanding section 2-224(F), the policy body may take action on items of business not appearing on the posted agenda under any of the following conditions:
(1) Upon a determination by a majority vote of the body that an accident, natural disaster or work force disruption poses a threat to public health and safety;
(2) Upon a good faith, reasonable determination by a two-thirds vote of the policy body, or, if less than two-thirds of the members are present, a unanimous vote of those members present, that (a) the need to take immediate action on the item is so imperative as to threaten serious injury to the public interest if action were deferred to a subsequent special or regular meeting, or relates to a purely commendatory action; and (b) that the need for such action came to the attention of the policy body subsequent to the agenda being posted as specified in section 2-224(A); or
(3) The item was on an agenda posted pursuant to section 2-224(A) for a prior meeting of the policy body occurring not more than five calendar days prior to the date action is taken on the item, and at the prior meeting the item was continued to the meeting at which action is being taken.
(H) Information on this article shall be provided on the city clerk's webpage, with hard copies provided free of charge upon request.
(Ord. No. 2948, 3031)