Drafter
Clerk 01/18/2002
Title
AN ORDINANCE relating to the employment committee and amending Ordinance 11683, Section 5, as amended, and K.C.C. 1.24.045, Ordinance 11683, Section 6, as amended, and K.C.C. 1.24.055 and Ordinance 11683, Section 14, as amended, and K.C.C. 1.24.135.
Body
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. Ordinance 11683, Section 5, as amended, and K.C.C 1.24.045 are each hereby amended to read as follows:
Rule 5: Agenda.
A. Council business must be disposed of in the following order, or in an order the chair deems appropriate, subject to appeal as provided in Rule 5C, K.C.C. 1.24.045C:
1. Roll call;
2. Flag salute and Pledge of Allegiance, the leading of which must be offered by a member of the council and which must rotate among all members of the council;
3. Approval of minutes;
4. Reports from members serving on special and outside committees;
5. Plat tracings;
6. Special items;
7. Hearings and second reading of ordinances from standing committees and regional committees;
8. Introduction of and action on emergency ordinances;
9. Motions, from standing committees and regional committees, for council action;
10. Introduction of and action on motions;
11. Consent agenda on reports and recommended actions from employment committee;
12. Other reports and recommended actions from the employment committee;
13. Consent agenda on hearing examiner recommendations;
((13.)) 14. Introduction of ordinances for first reading and referrals;
((14.))) 15. Introduction of motions and referrals;
((15.)) 16. Extra items;
((16.)) 17. Messages from the county executive and other county officials, the judiciary, the regional committees and other agencies;
((17.)) 18. Other business; and
((18.)) 19. Adjournment.
B. Legislation or other items for placement on the council meeting agenda must be submitted to the clerk of the council by 10:00 a.m. Thursday of the week before the next scheduled meeting, except that:
1. If directed by the chair, the clerk may place an item on the council agenda with a note that the item is contingent on being voted out of committee before the council meeting;
2. Legislation or other items for referral to committee may be added at committee-of-the-whole or regularly scheduled council meetings at the discretion of the chair of the council; and
3. Legislation or other items needing action by the full council may be added at the discretion of the chair of the council at committee-of-the whole or regularly scheduled council meetings. The chair shall apply the following criteria for the additions:
a. the legislation is particularly time-sensitive and delay in action either:
(1) might impair the effectiveness of the county's responses to emergencies such as natural or human-made disasters, or other circumstances seriously affecting the public health, safety or welfare or the support of county government and its existing public institutions; or
(2) might impair timely performance under deadlines of a statute, ordinance, contract, interlocal agreement, real property instrument or other provision requiring immediate action;
b. legislation should be delivered to the chair and the clerk before the beginning of the committee-of-the-whole meeting. An original and twenty copies should be provided to the clerk, together with an introduction slip from the sponsor; and
c. the sponsor should provide a brief written description to the chair of the reason for the need to expedite the legislation without regular committee review.
C. The chair shall notify the members present of proposed changes to the agenda. If two members object to a change, a majority of the members present shall decide whether to change the agenda.
SECTION 2. Ordinance 11683, Section 6, as amended, and K.C.C. 1.24.055 are each hereby amended to read as follows:
Rule 6: Standing committees. The standing committees shall operate as follows:
A. A majority of a committee constitutes a quorum except for a committee with an even number of members, in which case one half of the committee constitutes a quorum. A committee is considered to have a quorum present unless the question is raised by a member of the committee. If a member objects to proceeding because of the lack of a quorum, the committee may not conduct official business, except to conduct a hearing. The appointment or use of alternate members is not allowed for a standing committee ((other than the employment committee. If a regular member of the employment committee cannot attend an employment committee meeting, an alternate member may be appointed. The chair of the council shall appoint the alternate for an absent member from the majority party. The member designated by the minority party to consult with the chair of the council in the exercise of the chair's powers shall appoint the alternate for an absent member from the minority party. An appointment of an alternate must be in writing and filed with the clerk of the council and the chair of the employment committee. Alternate employment committee members may be designated for either a specific meeting or for any meeting at which an absence might occur in the future)).
B. During its consideration of a vote on legislation, the deliberations of a committee must be open to the public.
C. A vote to report legislation out of committee must be taken by the "ayes" and "nos," with the committee clerk recording the names of the members voting for and against, as well as the names of the members absent. On any matter, including but not limited to an amendment, a vote must be taken by oral roll call if requested by a member of the committee. A standing committee may not vote by secret ballot on an issue. Except for a regional committee, legislation may be reported out of committee by less than a quorum of the committee, subject to signature by a majority of the members of the committee, unless a member present request a vote on the recommendation by a quorum of the committee. If a member so requests, the legislation may not be reported out of the committee at that meeting without an affirmative vote by a majority of the quorum of the committee. Legislation reported out of committee subject to signature by a majority of the members of the committee is not effective unless signed by a majority of the committee and delivered to the clerk by the close of the second business day after the committee action. A vote in a committee must be recorded and the vote must be preserved as prescribed by the clerk of the council.
D. With the exception of legislation referred to committee-of-the-whole, legislation reported to the council from a standing committee must have a majority recommendation report, which must be prepared upon a printed standing committee report form and must be signed by a majority of the committee with one of the following recommendations:
1. Do pass;
2. Do pass -- consent;
3. Do pass substitute;
4. Do pass substitute -- consent;
5. Do not pass;
6. Postpone indefinitely;
7. Pass out of committee with no recommendation; or
8. Refer to another committee.
E. The rules and procedures contained in this chapter must be observed, when applicable, in all proceedings of a standing or special committee of the council.
F. The chair of the committee shall set the agenda for the committee, including whether and when to include on a specific agenda for action proposed legislation referred to the committee by the council chair. A change to the last distributed and posted agenda made at a meeting must be announced by the chair and is subject to appeal to the full committee present by any two members of the committee. A majority of the members present shall decide an appeal under this subsection.
G. Notice of a special meeting must be made in compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act of 1971, chapter 42.30 RCW. The committee chair may call up to six special meetings per calendar year. An additional special meeting may be called only upon the request of the chair and the written consent of either the vice-chair of the committee or the chair of the council before the meeting. A special meeting may be called only when:
1. There is time-sensitive legislation or information that cannot be presented and considered in the ordinary committee meeting schedule;
2. A joint meeting of two or more committees is necessary to consider a matter; or
3. An unusual and extreme workload of a committee does not allow its full consideration during the ordinary committee meeting schedule.
H. A committee may not recess a meeting for longer than eight hours unless consent is given consistent with Rule 6G, K.C.C. 1.24.055G. Such a recess constitutes a special meeting solely for the purpose of counting the six discretionary special meetings provided for in this rule. If recess is until the next day but less than twenty-four hours, then the maximum possible notice must be given. If recess is for greater than twenty-four hours, then at least twenty-four hours' notice must be given.
SECTION 3. Ordinance 11683, Section 14, as amended, and K.C.C. 1.24.135 are each hereby amended to read as follows:
Rule 14: Adoption by consent.
A. A consent agenda may be established by the chair of the council. A proposed ordinance may be placed on the consent agenda if a committee or council hearing was previously held on the measure and if a council member does not object to the placement. If a member objects to the placement of a proposed ordinance on the consent agenda, the proposed ordinance must be removed from the consent agenda. A proposed motion may be placed on the consent agenda upon recommendation by the committee. Proposed legislation on the consent agenda is not subject to amendment except as recommended in the committee report. All items on the consent agenda may be adopted in one motion by oral roll call vote.
B. Employment committee recommendations shall be contained in a written recommendation report that shall((, upon signature of three committee members,)) be sent to the full council in the manner set forth in the council's organizational motion. The council shall consider the recommendation reports from the committee on an employment committee consent agenda. However, in the event the employment committee forwards two recommendations to the council on the same matter, the two recommendations shall be considered separately from the consent agenda. Upon the request of any member present before the full council, any specific recommendation from the employment committee shall be removed from the consent agenda and considered separately by the council ((prior to)) after adoption of the employment consent agenda.
C. A consent agenda on hearing examiner recommendations may be established by the chair of the council. A hearing examiner recommendation may be placed on the agenda on hearing examiner recommendations if a hearing was previously held on the measure and if a council member does not object to the placement. If a member objects to the placement of a hearing examiner recommendation on the consent agenda on hearing examiner recommendations, the recommendation must be removed from the consent agenda on hearing examiner recommendations. All items on the consent agenda
on hearing examiner recommendations may be adopted in one motion by oral roll call vote.