Adopt procedure to establish what comes before Council and committees

WHEREAS, committees are designed to allow for more nimble problem solving and policy review; and

WHEREAS, committees offer more time for public testimony to shape policy; and

WHEREAS, committee members, as the Councilors receiving reports and participating in presentations and discussions about issues, are often the most knowledgeable Councilors on a topic; and

WHEREAS, it is the responsibility of Council to ensure the balance of efficient policy development with the deliberate development of good policies that have the input of a broad cross-section of affected Portlanders, including City staff and affected community members; and

WHEREAS, the public and issue-area stakeholders can follow public committee work on topics of interest to them, and policy committees are often easier for community members to monitor than Council, which does work on many topic areas.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, ordinances will be considered in committee before coming to Council; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, an exception may be made if the Council President, the Chair(s) of the appropriate committee, and the Councilor submitting an ordinance all agree that the topic under consideration in the ordinance has received sufficient attention in committee or Council discussions, and the balance of efficiency prevails. If an ordinance is submitted by the Mayor or the Auditor, the Council President and Committee Chair(s) may decide to make an exception in consultation with and upon giving notice to the submitter; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, resolutions will generally go to committee before coming to Council; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, a resolution that does not create a procedure or other direction for Council work and does not affect policy, or that has received sufficient attention in committee or Council discussions, and where the balance of efficiency prevails, may bypass committee deliberation and go directly to Council; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, reports may go to Council or committee, depending on the type of report, direction in Code or Charter, and the discussion on the report that is needed; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, nothing in this procedure limits the ability of four Councilors to remove an item from committee to be considered by full Council, as code allows.