Code of Conduct
ROXBOROUGH VILLAGE METROPOLITAN DISTRICT MEETING CODE OF CONDUCT
This Meeting Code of Conduct supersedes any prior written or verbal policy or practice regarding Board member and public conduct during a Board meeting.
1. Public Comment — General
a. Public comment will be routinely held at the Board’s regular and special meetings (including study sessions), unless the Board determines by affirmative majority vote not to provide for public comment. In general, public comment will be held near the beginning and near the end of a meeting.
b. Speakers shall address the entire Board, not an individual Board member. A speaker may speak on any topic regardless of whether it is on the agenda provided that the topic is relevant to the District.
c. Each speaker shall have three (3) minutes. A speaker may not give part of his/her time to another speaker. The total time allotted for public comment is fifteen (15) minutes, unless otherwise extended by an affirmative majority vote of the Board. Each speaker may speak only once. Only one speaker will be acknowledged at a time.
d. Speakers will be taken in order of sign-in, as time allows. Priority will be given to District residents if any speakers are non-residents, unless a non-resident is attending at the Board’s request.
2. Public Comment — Specific
a. Any agenda item may have public comment added to it by the affirmative majority vote of the Board.
b. If an agenda contains a specific item for public comment, such as an annual budget hearing, public comments will only be permitted during that specific agenda item.
c. The Board may by affirmative majority vote add a Question-and-Answer session to any agenda item for the purpose of having a more engaged discussion with the public on that agenda item. The total time allotted for a Question-and-Answer session is fifteen (15) minutes, unless otherwise extended by an affirmative majority vote of the Board.
3. Manner of Addressing the Board
a. All speakers must give their name and identify themselves as: i) a District resident and state their address; ii) a non-resident doing business within the District and state their business name and address; or, iii) a non-resident and non-business speaker. Any speaker who refuses to give their name or otherwise identify themselves cannot address the Board. Meeting Code of Conduct Page 3 of 5060646.3.
b. Except for a Question-and-Answer session, the Board will not discuss or debate an item with a speaker or with one another, but will refer the item to staff for follow-up as appropriate.
c. If a Board member asks a clarifying question of a speaker, only the Board member and the speaker are permitted to discuss the clarifying question.
d. All speakers must respect the public nature of the forum, and the limited purpose of the forum to conduct the business of the District, by using language that is free from profanity or expletives.
e. No speaker may make direct or implied threats of violence or harm.
4. Written Public Comment
a. Any member of the public may submit his/her comments in writing to the District Manager by 1:00 p.m. the day before a scheduled Board meeting, to be included in the meeting packet or post-packet items. The written comments must include the commentor’s name and must be identified as “public comment” in order to be included in a meeting packet or post-packet items. If the commentor does not attend the meeting, the commentor’s comments will be read aloud by the District Manager as time allows.
b. In general, Board members will not discuss or debate the item(s) in a written public comment but will refer such item(s) to staff for follow-up as appropriate.
5. Recording of Meetings
a. Recording (audio and/or video) of meetings is permitted for both in-person and audio/video meetings.
b. An attendee recording a meeting shall ensure their device does not interfere with the meeting and is not distracting to the Board or any other attendee.
6. Attendee Conduct
a. Speakers, whether in-person or attending by audio/video platform, are prohibited from engaging in personal attacks, using verbal or written profanity or obscenities, or engaging in other conduct that disrupts, disturbs, or otherwise impedes the orderly and efficient conduct of the meeting. Similarly prohibited are overly long, unduly repetitious, or irrelevant remarks that disrupt, disturb, or otherwise impede a meeting by preventing the Board from accomplishing its business in a reasonably efficient manner.
b. No attendee is permitted to speak outside a public comment period, unless directly addressed by the Board.
c. No intoxicated or otherwise impaired attendees. Meeting Code of Conduct Page 3 of 5060646.3.
d. For meetings conducted in part or in whole by audio/video platform —
i. All attendees must sign in through the chat.
ii. Turning on a video camera is optional for any attendee. All Board members shall, to the extent practical, have their video camera on for the entirety of the public portion OF a meeting.
iii. All attendees must stay on Mute at all times unless they are called for public comment.
iv. All District consultants shall stay on Mute unless the Board has asked them to speak.
v. Board members should stay on Mute unless they are speaking.
vi. Any chat function on the audio/video meeting will be monitored by the District and used for noting attendance, identifying information for attendees and speakers, and for collecting informal written comments, none of which will constitute an official Board record but will be used to provide information to the Board. The public always has the ability to email, call, or discuss an item in-person with the District Manager
or a Board member.
7. Violations
a. Request by any Board member to cease the conduct — 1st request.
b. Request by any Board member to cease the conduct — 2nd request.
c. Request by any Board member to cease the conduct — 3rd request. The attendee will be asked to leave the meeting.
d. Any threat of violence or harm, whether verbally or through gesture or other mannerism, will result in immediate removal from the meeting and a police report will be filed.
e. Any attendee with signs of intoxication or impairment may be immediately removed from the meeting.