Proposed City Council Agenda Template

[Charles West]

I’ve developed a proposed standardized agenda template for City Council meetings and would like to share it for review and discussion.

The goal of this template is to improve consistency, transparency, and organization across all meetings, making agendas easier to follow for Council, staff, and the public. It reflects common best practices used by Texas municipalities and is structured to align with Open Meetings Act requirements, while remaining flexible for local needs.

The template includes sections such as:

• Call to Order and Opening Items
• Public Comments
• Consent Agenda
• Public Hearings
• Ordinances and Resolutions
• Regular Agenda Items
• Executive Session
• Staff and Council Reports
• Future Agenda Items

At this stage, this is a working draft and I’m looking for input.

Please send any feedback, suggestions, or recommended changes directly to me. I will compile all comments and post an updated version here for group review before bringing it forward for formal consideration.

Appreciate everyone’s time and input.

 

[Shane Saum]

The one main addition I support is the addition of 14.2 Requests for future agenda items, subject to the City’s agenda-setting policy. Currently, some wait until the last hours prior to our posting deadlines to request their agenda items. This addition will allow the public to see that Council is thinking long-term and acting with purpose in our meetings rather than adding items last second. It would also give our staff more time to prepare for those items and the rest of council could hear what is being requested and seek clarification if it is vague. Also, if it is an agenda item that was already previously discussed that can be made known or if someone wants to help work on that item, they can chime in.

I also like the budget section. This is one of the most important things we do and should be a regular item on the agenda.

This format does not have anything explicitly listed for work session's, would that mean no more work session items?

Does this need to be updated in our Rules of Procedure?