Council meetings
Provided a quorum is present, council decisions are made by a majority of the councillors at the meeting. If there is a tied vote the mayor, who chairs council meetings, has a second casting vote. By convention the mayor's casting vote is used to maintain the status quo, but this is not an obligation.
All councillors present at a council meeting must vote on every motion, unless they have a conflict of interest. They cannot abstain from voting for any other reason.
How council meetings are governed
The Local Government Act lays down the basic requirements of council meetings. This includes public access to meetings, councillor voting and the need to keep minutes of meetings. The Act also requires that each council must make a local law to govern the conduct of its council meetings and special committee meetings.
Each council's meetings are governed by the procedures set out in the Act, its Meeting Procedure Local Law and any other applicable council policies and protocols. Where these make no provision for a particular matter, the conduct of a council meeting is at the discretion of the council.
These rules also apply to the conduct of a meeting of a special committee of council.
What is a meeting procedure local law?
A meeting procedures local law will describe how a particular council intends to govern the conduct of it meetings – including the processes and standards that it intends to apply. Typically, it covers:
- Notices of meeting
- Procedure for the agendas
- Apologies
- Minutes
- Quorums
- The order of business at meetings
- Urgent business
- Confidential business
- Question time
- Forms of motions
- Procedures for motions and amendments
- Rescission and amendment of motions
- Procedural motions
- Points of order
- Time limits for debate
Questions about the content and use of your council’s local law should be addressed to the council itself. Copies of all of local laws are available for public inspection and/or purchase at your council offices.
Councils hold two types of council meetings - ordinary and special meetings.
Ordinary meetings
Councils usually hold “ordinary meetings" once or twice a month, to transact the general business of the council. A regular meeting cycle is scheduled by each council and meeting details are publicly advertised.
The Local Government Act does not specify what the ‘general business’ of a council is. However, each council’s meeting procedure local law will generally stipulate how the agenda for an ordinary council meeting is determined.
Council should only consider items listed on the agenda and which the public and members of council are on notice about, especially for contentious or complex matters.
However a council’s meeting procedures local law may also provide for consideration of urgent items of business.
Special meetings
At “special meetings” generally only the business specified in the notice calling the meeting may be transacted. The Act sets out the procedure by which a special meeting of council may be convened and conducted. These include the following:
- the mayor or at least three councillors may by written notice call a special meeting of the council
- the notice must specify the date and time of the special meeting and the business to be transacted
- unless all councillors are present and unanimously agree to deal with another matter, only the business specified in the notice is to be transacted
Closed (in camera) council meetings
Entire council meetings (and meeting of Special Committees), or sections of such meetings, can be closed to the public under Section 89 (2) of the Local Government Act while the council is discussing:
- personnel matters
- the personal hardship of any resident or ratepayer
- industrial matters
- contractual matters
- proposed developments
- legal advice
- matters affecting the security of council property
- any other matter which the council or special committee considers would prejudice the council or any person
- a resolution to close the meeting to members of the public
If a council decides to close part of an open meeting, the public is asked to leave the chamber while this matter is discussed. People are then free to return to observe the remainder of the meeting. Sometimes a council will hold over an “in camera” item until the end of the meeting, to minimise public inconvenience.
If a council (or special committee) resolves to close a meeting to members of the public the reason must be recorded in the minutes of the open meeting.
Can I attend a council meeting?
Yes you can. Except in special circumstances, formal council meetings (some times called “ordinary meetings”) are required to be open to the public. Attending council meetings can be a good way of understanding how councils make decisions. Meeting cycles and meeting details are publicly advertised in local papers. Meeting notices and minutes are usually also available on council websites.
Meetings are usually held in the council chamber and some councils (especially in rural areas) hold some meetings in other parts of their municipality to encourage local participation.
Contact your council for details of council meetings in your area.
While council meetings are an opportunity to observe the council at work, they are not the place for members of the public to address councillors (unless they have previously been invited to make a submission). There should not be debate between the public and councillors at council meetings.
Some council local laws do allow for public question time during meetings. Arrangements vary however, and enquires should be made separately to each council.
How do I know what a council meeting will consider?
Before each council meeting council staff will prepare a meeting agenda. This will list all the items the council intends to consider. It usually also contains the officers’ reports and recommendations on these matters. Councillors use these reports as a source of information and advice to assist their decision making.
Before each meeting, councils often publish council meeting agendas on their websites. Agendas are sometimes also available in places like the local library or community centre and can be collected from the council offices. The main items on an agenda may also be advertised in local papers. Copies are made available at each council meeting.
How do I know what a council meeting decided?
After each council meeting, minutes will be prepared. This is the official record of the decisions made by the council. The minutes of each council meeting, which include relevant reports or summaries of these reports, must be available for public inspection for 12 months after each meeting. Councils often publish their meeting minutes on their website. Meeting minutes, are sometimes also made available in places like the local library or community centre and can be examined at the council offices.
If you have a direct interest in an item that is being considered at a council meeting, you may also be contacted about the meeting to explain how you may be involved. After the meeting, you may receive a letter advising of the council’s decision.
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