Good Afternoon County Commissioners—

Below are excerpts from the County’s Rules Manual pertaining to matters that came up at the recent Commission meeting. I would recommend that the Local Government Rules Committee consider a new provision to make explicit that eleven votes are required for passage and that a tie vote is not subject to a tie-break by the Mayor, who under current rules may only break a tie when serving as Chair.

Also, as a reminder, we look first to our adopted Rules Manual and to the County Attorney for parliamentary guidance, rather than individual interpretations of Robert’s Rules on their phones during meetings.

We will take up possible revisions to the language at a future meeting.

Thank you,

Sharon Hayes

County Rules Manual Excerpts

5K. Parliamentary Authority. All procedural matters not specifically addressed in

this manual shall be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order, as published in the

most recent edition. No local or published rules shall take precedence over state

statutes. The County Attorney advises when procedural questions arise.

6F. Call for the Question. A motion to Call for the Question requires a motion and

second and a two-thirds vote to pass by roll-call or a show of hands to pass. If

the motion passes, debate ends immediately, and the Commission proceeds to

vote on the pending question.

6J. Changing a Vote. Members may change their votes before the results of a roll

call are announced by the Clerk. Before closing the roll, the Clerk shall inquire

whether any member who passed wishes to vote, and whether any member

wishes to change their vote. The final results shall be announced by the Clerk.

6K.  Pass Votes (Abstentions). A vote of “Pass” shall be recorded as an abstention

and not counted as “yes” or “no” vote. Passes are not counted but are included

for determining the presence of a quorum.

8B. Voting by the Chair and Tie Votes. If the County Mayor serves as Chair,

he/she may vote only in the case of a tie. A Commissioner serving as Chair may

vote on all matters before the body.