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HomeMy Public PortalAbout19931025 special 201 SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING, OCTOBER 25, 1993 The Special City Council meeting called to order by Mayor Louise Gardner at 7:30 p.m. PRESENT: Mayor Gardner, Benton, Bemskoetter, Bertel, Byrd, Green, Haake, Halsey, Nilges and Wrigley ABSENT: Estes-Benward A quorum was declared present. STAFF: City Administrator Dave Johnston Parks and Recreation Director Bill Lockwood Deputy City Clerk Bonnie Schroder Mayor Gardner announced the Special Council Meeting had been requested by Councilmen Green, Nilges and Wrigley to reconsider Bill 93-106. Councilman Wrigley moved to reconsider Bill 93-106 for the purpose of rescinding the action and reconsidering the bill and the amendment pertaining to the subsidy of Parks and Recreation. Second by Councilman Green and the motion was approved with no opposition. Mayor Gardner called for the vote to reconsider Bill 93-106 as amended. Councilman Wrigley requested clarification on the process of the reconsideration. He stated that he did not want to prevent other discussion pertaining to the budget for those Council members who were unable to attend the October 21 Finance Committee meeting. Mayor Gardner replied that discussion would be allowed on the budget before the final vote was taken. Mayor Gardner called for a roll call vote for reconsideration of Bill 93-106 as amended, Aye: Benton, Bemskoetter, Bertel, Byrd, Green, Haake, Halsey, Nilges and Wrigley Nay: None Mayor Gardner stated that discussion on Bill 93-106 as amended was now in order. Councilman Wrigley, having voted on the prevailing side of the amendement to Bill 93- 106, requested the Council reconsider its action. He encouraged Council members to vote against the motion and thereby restore the $588,246 subside to Parks and k 202 SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING, OCTOBER 26, 1993 Recreation. Second by Councilman Byrd. The amendment was defeated by the following vote: Aye: None Nay: Benton, Bemskoetter, Bertel, Byrd, Green, Haake, Halsey, Nilges and Wrigley Mayor Gardner stated that discussion on Bill 93-106 was now in order. '! Councilman Bemskoetter discussed the City's donations to the Cole County Extension Service and the Capital City Council on the Arts. Councilman Halsey discussed that he hoped the Council would conduct its business in a more orderly manner in the future. {; '` Bill 93-106, sponsored by Councilman Nilges, entitled: AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF JEFFERSON, MISSOURI, ADOPTING A BUDGET AND PERSONNEL CLASSIFICATION PLAN FOR THE CiTY FOR THE PERIOD OF NOVEMBER 1, 1993, TO OCTOBER 31, 1994, AND APPROPRIATING MONEY IN THE CITY TREASURY TO PAY THE COST OF OPERATING THE CITY GOVERNMENT DURING THAT PERIOD IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE BUDGET. Bill 93-106 was passed by the following vote as Ordinance 11988: Aye: Benton, Bartel, Byrd, Green, Haake, Nilges and Wrigley Nay: None { Councilman Bemskoetter moved for adjournment; second by Councilman Byrd and motion was approved. The meeting adjourned at 7:46 p.m. The Chair announced that the amendment would be considered. Councilman Bemskoetter was recognized by the Chair to ask a question. Due to confusion, Chair said a vote was needed on the amendment because the Council voted to reconsider the amendment. Wrigley asked what amendment. Chair agreed. Wrigley said now we are back in front of the bill Itself. Chair agreed--no, you are voting as the bill for the purpose of rescinding the action and reconsidering the bill and the amendment thereto pertaining to the subsidy to Parks and Recreation. Mr. Johnston, did you understand that we had to vote on the amendment again. We are reconsidering the Bill 93-106. Mr. Gamer explained that this afternoon. 203 SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING, OCTOBER 25, 1993 i; DJ: My understanding is that this vote would rescind the action on the amendment if you voted on that amendment. CW: So we have to ... well LG: It rescinds the amendment so you have to vote on the amendment first. CW: A point of personal privilege. LG: If you defeat the amendment or you do not make the amendment, then the bill goes back as it was presented by the Finance Committee. But when you reconsier the bill, you also reconsider the amendment as i understood Mr. Gamer. We have to vote on both the amendment and the bill. CW: Point of personal privilege. LG: Yes. CW: It says for the purpose of rescinding the action and reconsidering the bill and the amendment thereto pertaining to Parks....so what you are saying is that by voting down the amendment (LG: if you make it] CW: I ain't making any amendment [LG: okay, I am just said if it is made] CW: well what are we voting on then if it is not already before us. You are the parliamentarian. LO: No. There is a bill 93-106 that is the budget...it was amended. Your motion is for the purpose of rescinding the action and reconsidering the bill and the amenment thereto that was both the bill and the amendment. CW: That is my point of personal privilege to find out exactly what we are doing. I do not want to forego or forestall any other discussion pertaining to the budget for those people who were unable to attend the Finance Committee of last week. My concern, Mayor, is that by voting on this are we or are we not going to preclude any further discussion on the budget and you as the parliamentarian, I • am asking you your opinion of what is going to happen if we vote against the amendment then are we automatically pushed to vote the bill. LG: No sir. CW: Thank you. I would like that reflected in the minutes, please. LG: There Is discussion as I explained to Mr. Bemskoetter earlier--we were taking a vote and discussion would follow before we vote. RH: Mr. Bemskoetter had a question. I will wait till he finishes. RN: It is my understanding that this motion is directed only to the amendment and • that no other discussion on anything else in the budget can take place. That is the impression I got from Mr. Gamer. II i i; 204 SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING, OCTOBER 25, 1993 LG: No sir. If you read the motion: for the purpose of recsinding the action and reconsidering the bill and the amendment thereto pertaining to the subsidy for Parks and Recreation. You have to reconsider the amendment and then pass the bill amended or unamended again. You are reconsidering each. When you rescind the bill, you are also rescinding the amendment. So if you pass the bill again just as is it would be as it was with the amendment. But if you do not Imake the motion for the amendment CW: You have to get back before the amendment to consider the amendment. LG: You have to consider the amendment, yes, you are correct. You have to ,? 1; consider the amendment and vote it up or vote it down. If you vote it up then it becomes part of the bill again. I spoke with Mr. Gamer this afternoon to understand this. fS DJ: You now have a motion to reconsider the bill on the budget CW: With the amendment attached DJ: For the purpose of rescinding that particular amendment that deals with Parks and Recreation subsidy, That is all you are reconsidering at this point is the amendment to rescind that amendment. It will take two votes CW: No, it will take two actions DJ: Two actions to get back to an adopted budget. CW: Let me go through something then. I don't want to confuse the issue and i don't want anybody to think that I am trying to do anything parliamentary slight of hand. We have to do two things -- we have to reconsider the bill one with the amendment on it and then somebody who voted for the amendment has to reconsider it to get in front of that, strip the amendment and then come back at the bill. If we don't get in front of the amendment and we vote aye then the amendment is still there. So it is two motions one to get the bill and one to go after the amendment and that is not what you were stating. LG: We have to get the bill first. CW: I understand that but LG: Then we have to go back to the amendment to take it off or leave it on. CW: But it is not a vote for or against. It is a motion to rescind. That is what was confusing factor. LG: Then we go back for discussion before we vote the bill with or without the amendment. LG: Does everyone understand? Any other questions on the process? I RH: I will wait until we vote on the amendment. LG: We voted to reconsider Bill 83-106. We are now considering to reconsider the amendment which was attached to Bill 93-106. • I ■ ■ fl 205 SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING, OCTOBER 25, 1993 CW: No, we are reconsidering the bill with the amendment attached. LG: You are right, we have not voted on the bill yet. LG: Roll call for reconsideration of bill 93-106 as amended. In other words, what you are voting on this time is to do It. 9 yes votes to reconsider LG: Ayes have it and we are now reconsidering Bill 93-106 as amended. Chair will now entertain a motion by someone who voted on the prevailing side to reconsider the amendment. CW: Having voted on the prevailing side of the amendment to Bill 93-106, I would like the Council to reconsider the vote by which it was taken. [Second by Byrd.] would encourage the Council to vote against my motion because by voting against the motion we remove the amendment; therefore we would be back where we were at the Finance Committee. What the amendment did was take $588,246 City subsidy away from Parks and Recreation and put it in the reserve fund. This will restore the money to Parks and Recreation. A negative vote to my motion would put the $588,246 back to Parks and Recreation for their use. • RH: Is this the final vote? LG: Not on the budget. This is only on the amendment. I don't want to speak yet. LG: Roll call on the amendment to 93-108. 9 nay votes LO: The amendment fails. We are now discussing Bill 93-106. Mr. Bemskoetter. DB: Noted some council members also serve on the Arts council board and they voted on donation to the Arts Council while DB abstained from voting on the Extension building item because he serves on the Extension board. RN: Added that $5,000 was added for Extension building. RH: I would hope in the wisdom of this Council we would do things a little more in an orderly fashion than what took place at the last Finance Committee meeting. I ` think we have too much at stake and the general public is eyeing us as a do nothing council and it really puts a bad light in turns of what we can get out of this council. I would hope that we would not in the future have this kind of thing 206 ; SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING, OCTOBER 25, 1993 ti. to happen and I beg each member of this council to be a little more cooperative with fellow councilmen so we will know what is going on and we won't have debates like we had earlier today with Parks and Recreation Department. We need to do this in a more orderly fashion and in a way in which we can respect each other because the way this thing is going now we are losing respect for :; each other and there is no dignity and no real respect for the council. I am not too sure that television is not hurting us rather than helping us. I ask each of you -- I don't want any debate—to please reconsider your attitude about how we are doing business. LG: Roll call on 93-106, 1. 9 yes votes ;1 LG: Ayes have it. Bill 93-106 passed as reconsidered. {i ft s 1 ji �j. _AMMINIIV