Meeting Information & Procedures

Procedures for city council meetings are outlined in council's Guidelines and Procedures (Section 2).

A city council meeting is any meeting comprised of four or more councilmembers where city business is conducted. All city council meetings are subject to all provisions of the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA).

Types of city council meetings include:

  • Regular and Official Meetings – The city council meets in regular session on the second and fourth Mondays of each month at 5:30 p.m., as established in GHMC Chapter 2.04. In the event any of the regular and official meeting days fall upon a legal holiday, the regular and official meeting day shall be on the Tuesday following the second and fourth Monday of each month. During the months of August and December, the mayor is directed to cancel the second regular meeting of the month, unless the mayor or city council determines that it is necessary to hold these meetings to conduct essential city business. 
  • Special Meetings – Special meetings are any meetings which are not regular and official city council meetings and may be called by the mayor or a majority of council. Council may take final action on items published on the agenda of a Special Meeting. Any meeting held at a location other than the Gig Harbor Civic Center is a special meeting.
  • Study Sessions – Study sessions provide council with the opportunity to discuss and explore issues before moving the matter to a regular and official meeting for final action. Council may direct the mayor to direct staff by motion or consensus at study sessions, but council may not take final action on any matters. In order to encourage discussion, study sessions are intended to be less formal in nature than regular meetings. It is appropriate for councilmembers to address each other informally during these meetings while still maintaining civility and decorum. Public comment will be accepted at study sessions following the staff report of each item on the agenda, consistent with the Section 2.3 of these guidelines. Comments will be limited to two minutes.
  • Council Retreats – Annually, or as needed, council may hold retreats to discuss work plans and visioning for future action. Similar to study sessions, council may direct the mayor to direct staff by motion or consensus, but council may not take final action on any matters. 

At all council meetings, a majority of the council shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

All city meetings are broadcast live using the Zoom meetings platform to allow residents to attend the meetings remotely. Public comment will be accepted by remote attendees at the appropriate portions of the meeting as defined in these guidelines.

Councilmembers and the mayor may appear at a council meeting by remote connection. Councilmembers intending to attend a meeting remotely should notify the mayor and city clerk in advance of the meeting. In instances when the mayor is remotely attending a meeting, the mayor will still function as the presiding officer.  

The city clerk or assistant city clerk shall attend all council meetings. If the city clerk and the assistant city clerk are absent from any council meeting, the city administrator shall appoint a clerk for that meeting. Any city employee shall attend a city council meeting when requested by the mayor or city administrator for clarification or explanation of agenda items. 

Robert's Rules of Order

All city council meetings are guided by the most recent edition of Robert's Rules of Order, as published by Scott, Foresman and Company. Here is a quick reference chart of the most common "Rules of Order" questions. The city clerk shall act as parliamentarian during all meetings of the city council. 

AWC has prepared a short video on the basics of Robert's Rules of Order to equip councilmembers with the tools they need to run effective meetings.

Agendas

The agenda for regular business meetings of the council is set by the mayor and city administrator. Any one of the city’s elected officials may place an item on the agenda as long as the item is submitted to the city administrator a minimum of five working days prior to the council meeting. Other parties desiring to place an item on the agenda shall submit the item to the city administrator or mayor at least five calendar days prior to the council meetings. The city administrator and the mayor shall solely determine whether items submitted by other parties shall appear on any city council agenda.