Council Meeting Rules Could Soon Change

On Wednesday night, the city council will take a vote to amend some of its own rules. 

The goal of the new rules is to make the meetings—which often last until the wee hours of the morning and involve shouting matches, back-and-forths and members of the public being asked to leave the room—easier for more Hoboken residents to attend, Council President Ravi Bhalla explained on Monday. 

In a phone interview he outlined the most important changes he is proposing. The new rules have been in the works for several months, Bhalla said. Below are some of the changes members of the public can expect.

• It will no longer be possible to unseat the sitting council president by calling a so-called "no confidence vote." That way, Bhalla said, any politics on the council won't have any effect on the sitting council president. 
• The public portion—when members of the public can speak for five minutes on any topic—will be moved up to the first part of the meeting. Currently, the public portion happens at the end of the meeting, which often means it doesn't start until well after midnight. The new rules will move up the public portion until after the second readings of ordinances, which happens early on in the night. 
• The council president will be able to limit the public portion to one hour. If it takes longer, the public portion can be put on hold and resume after the rest of the agenda has been discussed and voted on.
• Members of the public will still be able to comment on separate agenda items, as well as during public portion.
• Directors are no longer required to attend the entire meeting. Directors can be asked to stay if issues will be discussed that pertains to their departments, Bhalla said. The city clerk, the corporation counsel and the business administrator are required to attend the entire meeting, no matter what. 

 The new rules will need five votes to pass and go into effect. "We’re trying to improve the way the meetings are run," Bhalla said, "make them more transparent."

What do you think of these changes? Do you agree or disagree? Let us know in the comments.