Council approves procedural changes

The City of Milford will continue to follow Roberts Rules of Order during meetings (Photo courtesy of Wesley Tingey, Unsplash Media)

At a recent meeting, Milford City Council approved changes to procedures during meetings. These changes impact public comment, agenda items and the rules council  will follow in the meeting.

“One of the changes we are proposing to add will allow council to remove any item from the agenda and the second is to move the finance report back to the second Monday of the month,” City Manager Mark Whitfield said. “This will allow the finance report to get into the packet for your review prior to the meeting.”

In addition, Whitfield stated that there were a few items suggested by Solicitor David Rutt.

“There’s one thing I noticed that it reads during city council regular public comment period, comments must be related to agenda items. That’s not what we do. So I would suggest strike related to agenda items only,” Rutt said. “Another suggestion is to switch from Robert’s Rules of Order to Mason’s Manual of Legislative Procedure.”

Mayor Todd Culotta asked Rutt why council should move from Roberts Rules since it was familiar to most people. Rutt explained that Mason’s was strictly for legislative procedures while Roberts Rules covers all types of meetings. Councilman Dan Marabello asked if it was really necessary to switch. Rutt stated it was just a suggestion.

“I actually I would prefer to stay with Rogers Rules. And I did contact other municipalities to see who used what,” City Clerk Katrina White said. “I contacted Wilmington, Dover, Millsboro, Newark, Newport, Bethany, Bethel, town of Blades, Felton, Frankford, Georgetown, Milton, Cheswold and Bethany. They all use Roberts.

White continued, pointing out that a few municipalities did use Mason’s.

“Bridgeville uses Mason’s because they say they follow what the county does. The county uses that, and also Greenwood and Ocean View,” Wilson said. “I spoke with the town of Greenwood, and their suggestion was not to go to Mason’s. One book is like $100, is very thick, and it’s very hard to follow.”

Culotta felt that Mason’s was a much more regimented meeting style and that he preferred it to be more relaxed. Councilman Jason James suggested that council learn Roberts Rules of Order. White stated that she was in training to be a registered parliamentarian, so she would be able to provide advice once she is certified.

The measure passed unanimously, keeping Roberts Rules of Order and allowing public comment on items that were not on the agenda.