The Council shall hold regular meetings in the Council Chambers of City Hall, 6907 El Camino Real, Atascadero, every second and fourth Tuesday evening. The Council meetings will commence at 6:00 p.m. unless there is a Community Redevelopment Agency meeting commencing at 6:00 p.m. in which event the Council meeting will commence immediately following the conclusion of the Community Redevelopment Agency meeting. The Council will also meet on such other days, at such other times, as may be designated in a notice for a special meeting. A special meeting may be ordered in accordance with the provisions of Sections 54956 and 54956.5 of the Government Code of the State. When the day for any regular meeting of the Council falls on a legal holiday, the meeting shall not be held on such holiday, but shall be held at the same hour on the next succeeding day thereafter which is not a holiday, or at such other time as shall be determined and noticed by the Council.
(Ord. 1 §§ 1, 2, 1979; Ord. 19 § 2-1.01, 1980; Ord. 142 § 1, 1986; Ord. 186 § 1, 1988; Ord. 526 § 1, 2008)
(a) 
Requests for items to appear on the Council agenda shall be presented to the City Manager or to the City Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m. on the Tuesday preceding the day of the Council meeting. The City Manager shall prepare the agenda of all such matters and cause a copy of such agenda to be made available to each Councilmember, the City Manager, the City Attorney, City Clerk, City Treasurer, and each Department Head by 5:00 p.m. on the Thursday preceding the Council meeting. The agenda shall be available to the public in the office of the City Clerk or the office of the City Manager no later than 12:00 noon on the Friday preceding the Council meeting. In the event that regular Council meetings are held on a day other than Monday because of holidays or other reasons, then the agenda schedule shall be adjusted accordingly.
(b) 
No matters other than those on the agenda shall be finally acted upon by the Council; provided, however, matters deemed to be emergencies or of an urgent nature by any Councilmember, or by the City Manager, with an explanation of the emergency or urgency stated in open Council meeting, with the consent of the Council, may be considered and acted upon by the Council following its consideration of the regular agenda items.
(Ord. 19 § 2-1.02, 1980; Ord. 57 § 2-1.02, 1982)
The meeting agenda of the Council shall include a consent calendar which shall consist of routine items. The adoption or approval of all items on the consent calendar shall be accomplished by one motion passed on a roll call vote.
(a) 
Confirming Resolutions. Resolutions confirming the prior action of the Council (action taken at a prior meeting) may be placed on the consent calendar for adoption. The City Clerk shall record the Council vote on the resolution in accordance with the vote taken by the Council at the time the original action was taken at the meeting when the matter was considered, debated, and voted upon.
(b) 
Removal of Items from Consent Calendar. The motion to adopt a consent calendar shall not be debatable; provided, however, if any Councilmember, or staff member, desires Council discussion or debate on any item of the consent calendar, such item shall be removed from the calendar and thereafter discussed or debated. In such case, the Council shall consider the approval or adoption of the consent calendar, as amended, with the removal of such item.
(Ord. 19 § 2-1.03, 1980)
All meetings of the council shall be open to the public; provided, however, when held in conformity with the provisions of Section 54957 of the Government Code of the State, the public shall be excluded from closed sessions held during a Council meeting. At the hour set by law on the day of the scheduled regular meeting, the Councilmembers, the City Manager, the City Attorney, the City Clerk, and such other personnel as have been requested to be present by the City Manager shall take their regular stations in the Council Chamber.
(Ord. 19 § 2-1.04, 1980)
(a) 
The Mayor, or in his or her absence the Vice Mayor, shall be the presiding officer and shall assume his or her place and duties as such immediately following his or her election. he or she shall preserve strict order and decorum at all regular meetings of the Council, state questions coming before the Council, announce its decision on all subjects, and decide all questions of order, subject, however, to an appeal to the Council as a whole, in which event a majority vote shall govern and conclusively determine such question of order. he or she shall vote on all questions, and on roll call his or her name shall be called last.
(b) 
The Mayor shall sign all ordinances and resolutions adopted by the Council at meetings at which he or she is in attendance. In the event of his or her absence, the Vice Mayor shall sign such documents. In the absence of the Mayor and Vice Mayor, the acting mayor shall sign such documents.
(Ord. 19 § 2-1.05, 1980)
The Mayor, or in his or her absence the Vice Mayor, shall take the chair at the hour appointed for the regular meeting and shall call the Council to order. In the absence of the Mayor and the Vice Mayor, the City Clerk or his or her assistant shall call the Council to order, whereupon an acting Mayor shall be elected by the Councilmembers present. Upon the arrival of the Mayor or Vice Mayor, the acting mayor shall relinquish the chair at the conclusion of the business then before the Council.
(Ord. 19 § 2-1.06, 1980)
Before proceeding with the business of the Council, the City Clerk or his or her assistant shall call the roll of the Councilmembers. The roll shall be called randomly, except that the name of the Mayor shall be called last. The names of each Councilmember shall be called on each roll call whether they are present or absent, and shall be entered in the minutes. Following the roll call vote, the Mayor shall declare the result.
(Ord. 19 § 2-1.07, 1980)
A roll call vote shall be taken upon the passage of all ordinances, resolutions, and orders for the payment of money and shall be entered in the minutes of the Council showing those Councilmembers voting aye, those voting no, and those not voting or absent. Upon the request of any Councilmember, a roll call vote shall be taken and recorded on any vote. The call of the roll shall not be interrupted. Any member of the Council may change his or her vote before the next order of business is taken up.
(Ord. 19 § 2-1.08, 1980)
A majority of the Council shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. A majority of the Council is sufficient to do business, and motions may be passed two to one if only three attend, but ordinances, resolutions granting franchises, and the payment of money require at least three affirmative votes. When there is no quorum for a regular meeting, the Mayor, Vice Mayor, or any Councilmember shall adjourn such meeting, or, if no Councilmember is present, the City Clerk shall adjourn the meeting.
(Ord. 19 § 2-1.09, 1980)
(a) 
The minutes of the Council shall be kept by the City Clerk and shall be neatly produced and kept in a file for that purpose, with a record of each particular type of business transacted set off in paragraphs with proper subheads: provided, however, the City Clerk shall be required to make a record only of such business as was actually passed upon by a vote of the Council and shall not be required to record any remarks of Councilmembers or of any other person; and, provided further, the City Clerk shall attempt to record the names and addresses of persons addressing the Council, the title of the subject matter to which their remarks related, and whether they spoke in support of or in opposition to such matter.
(b) 
Whenever the Council acts in a quasi-judicial proceeding such as in certain zoning matters and assessment matters, the City Clerk shall compile a summary of the testimony of the witnesses.
(Ord. 19 § 2-1.10, 1980)
Unless the reading of the minutes of a regular meeting is requested by a Councilmember, such minutes may be approved without reading if the City Clerk has previously furnished each Councilmember with a copy thereof.
(Ord. 19 § 2-1.11, 1980)
(a) 
Presiding Officer May Debate and Vote. The presiding officer may move, second, and debate from the chair, subject only to such limitations of debate as are by these rules imposed on all Councilmembers, and shall not be deprived of any of the rights and privileges of a Councilmember by reason of his or her acting as the presiding officer.
(b) 
Getting the Floor: Improper References. Every Councilmember desiring to speak shall address the chair and, upon recognition by the presiding officer, shall confine him or herself to the question under debate, avoiding all personalities and indecorous language.
(c) 
Interruptions. A Councilmember once recognized shall not be interrupted when speaking unless it shall be to call him or her to order or as otherwise provided by this section. If a Councilmember, while speaking, shall be called to order, he or she shall cease speaking until the question of order has been determined and, if in order, he or she shall be permitted to proceed.
(d) 
Motions to Reconsider. A motion to reconsider any action taken by the Council at a regular meeting may be made only on the day such action was taken or at the next succeeding adjourned or regular meeting. Such a motion shall be made by one of the prevailing side but may be seconded by any Councilmember and may be made at any time. It shall be debatable. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent any Councilmember from making or remaking the same or another motion at a subsequent meeting of the Council.
(Ord. 19 § 2-1.12, 1980)
(a) 
Any person desiring to address the Council during a regular meeting shall first secure the permission of the presiding officer to do so.
(b) 
Taxpayers or residents of the City, or their authorized legal representatives, may address the Council by oral communications on any matter concerning the City's business or on any matter over which the Council has control; provided, however, preference shall be given to those persons who have notified the City Clerk in advance of their desire to speak in order that the same may appear on the agenda of the Council.
(Ord. 19 § 2-1.13, 1980)
(a) 
Manner: Time. Each person addressing the Council shall approach the Council table and step up to the public microphone, if available, give his or her name in an audible tone of voice for the record, and, unless further time is granted by the presiding officer, shall limit his or her address to three minutes. All remarks shall be addressed to the Council as a body and not to any member thereof. No person, other than a Councilmember and the person having the floor, shall be permitted to enter into any discussion without the permission of the presiding officer.
(b) 
Spokespersons for Groups of Persons. Whenever any group of persons wishes to address the Council on the same subject matter, it shall be proper for the presiding officer to request that a spokesperson be chosen by the group to address the Council and, in the event additional matters are to be presented at the time by any other member of such group, to limit the number of persons so addressing the Council so as to avoid unnecessary repetitions before the Council.
(Ord. 19 § 2-1.14, 1980; Ord. 526 § 2, 2008)
(a) 
If a member of the City Council, Planning Commission or Parks and Recreation Commission states he or she has a conflict of interest, the member must declare the conflict prior to consideration of the item and leave the dais and also leave the room (unless allowed to remain in the room due to a personal interest) and abstain from participating in the item and from voting and the abstention will be treated as nonvote.
(b) 
In all situations other than as provided in subsection (a) of this section, the abstention will be treated as follows:
(1) 
In the event that one less than the necessary number of "aye" votes has been cast, then an abstention will constitute concurrence with the affirmative votes, and the minutes will reflect such concurrence and that the matter was passed pursuant to this rule.
(2) 
An abstention in all situations other than described in subsection (b)(1) of this section will be recorded in the minutes as an abstention and treated as a non-vote.
(3) 
Failure to vote when in attendance at a meeting by silence or otherwise will be treated as an abstention.
(Ord. 19 § 2-1.15, 1980; Ord. 532 § 2, 2008)
(a) 
By Councilmembers. While the Council is in regular meeting, the Councilmembers shall preserve order and decorum, and no Councilmember shall, by conversation or otherwise, delay or interrupt the proceedings or the peace of the Council, disturb any Councilmember while speaking, or refuse to obey the orders of the Council or the presiding officer, except as provided in this chapter.
(b) 
By Other Persons. Any person making personal, impertinent, or slanderous remarks or who shall become boisterous while addressing the Council shall be forthwith, by the presiding officer, barred from further audience at such meeting before the Council, unless permission to continue shall be granted by a majority vote of the Council.
(Ord. 19 § 2-1.16, 1980)
The Police Chief shall be ex officio sergeant at arms of the Council. Personally, or through his or her deputies, he or she shall carry out all orders and instructions given him or her by the presiding officer for the purpose of maintaining order and decorum in the Council Chamber. Any person in the audience who uses loud, boisterous, or profane language at a Council meeting, or language tending to bring the Council or any Councilmember into contempt, or any person who persistently interrupts the proceedings of the Council or refuses to keep quiet or take a seat when ordered to do so by the presiding officer shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor. Upon instructions of the presiding officer, it shall be the duty of any police officer present to eject any such person from the Council Chamber or place him or her under arrest, or both.
(Ord. 19 § 2-1.17, 1980)
The Council shall have the discretionary right to make investigations and hold hearings with respect to all matters within its legislative power and all matters pertaining to the administration of the business of the City, and shall have the power of subpoena as provided in Sections 37104 through 37109 of the Government Code of the State.
(Ord. 19 § 2-1.18, 1980)