Committee Process
Agenda Setting
The Council Committee Coordinator, Committee Chair and City staff meet several days before the meeting to finalize the agenda and divide items into "Consent" and "Discussion."
Agendas are posted on the City’s Website a minimum of the day before the meeting.
Committee Meetings
The Council has twelve standing committees. Seven of the committees meet on a regular schedule, during the two week Council cycle: Committee of the Whole, Community Development, Public Safety and Health, Regulatory, Energy and Environment, Transportation and Public Works, Ways and Means/Budget, and Zoning and Planning. The other committees on Audit, Claims, Rules, Taxes and Elections meet when needed. There is also an Intergovernmental Relations subcommittee of Committee of the Whole, which meets at the same time with the same membership as CoW.
Committees usually meet every two weeks. Meetings are open to the public but may be closed pursuant to Minnesota Open Meeting Law, Minnesota Statutes, Section 13D.01. The staff is permitted to speak at meetings; the public may speak during public hearings and at the discretion of the Committee Chair. It is the role of a committee to make a recommendation and to forward that recommendation to the council.
"Committee recommendations shall be "recommend approval," "recommend denial," or "forward without recommendation". Any action of a committee making a recommendation to the council and adopted by a majority of the committee shall be reduced to writing and presented at the next meeting of the city council." - Council Rule 3 (G)
"Any matter that has been on the "Unfinished Business" portion of the City Council's agenda for three consecutive regular council meetings will be returned to the appropriate standing committee for further consideration." - Council Rule 1 (G)
Committee meetings are Cablecast and are also available for webcast on the City's website.
Committee Reports
Reports are prepared by the Council Committee Coordinator for full Council consideration. These reports may have resolutions or ordinances attached.
Committee Minutes
Committee minutes are a summarized record of the actions taken at the meeting. They are not verbatim unless ordered by the City Attorney’s office.
Responsibilities
Council Committee Coordinators
A Council Committee Coordinator is assigned to each Council committee. These Coordinators are responsible for preparing agendas, and placing the agenda with links to the staff reports on the City's Website, placing staff letters and associated documents in the permanent record, recording committee actions, composing reports for full Council consideration and publication, and producing summary minutes of committee meetings.
Department Staff
Staff from City departments are responsible for submitting paper and electronic copies of letters and materials to the appropriate committee for posting to the Website. Staff is responsible for clearly stating the recommendation for committee action and for tracking and follow up on that action.
Committee Chairs
Each committee is chaired by a Council Member who is responsible for setting the agendas with staff, accepting items submitted after the agenda deadline, presiding at committee meetings, scheduling special committee meetings and public hearings.
City Clerks Office - councilcommitteecoordinators@minneapolismn.gov
Last updated Dec. 31, 2012