CMC Meeting Administration & Parliamentary Procedure 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the purpose of a 'consent agenda' in municipal meetings?
- To allow the public to consent to items before council votes
- To group routine, non-controversial items for adoption in a single vote (Correct answer)
- To list agenda items requiring a supermajority vote
- To identify items that have received prior committee approval only
Correct answer: To group routine, non-controversial items for adoption in a single vote
A consent agenda bundles routine items so the governing body can approve them all at once, saving meeting time for substantive discussion.
Question 2: In parliamentary procedure, the 'Previous Question' motion, when adopted, has what effect?
- It returns the body to the previous item of business
- It immediately ends debate and forces a vote on the pending motion (Correct answer)
- It allows the presiding officer to call the previous meeting's minutes into question
- It tables the current motion until the next meeting
Correct answer: It immediately ends debate and forces a vote on the pending motion
The Previous Question motion, if passed by a two-thirds vote, closes debate and forces an immediate vote on the pending question.
Question 3: Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), what obligation do municipalities have regarding public meetings?
- Meetings must be held exclusively in buildings constructed after 1992
- Reasonable accommodations must be provided so people with disabilities can participate (Correct answer)
- All meeting materials must be published in Braille at least 10 days in advance
- Public comment periods must be extended by 50% for individuals with disabilities
Correct answer: Reasonable accommodations must be provided so people with disabilities can participate
Municipalities must provide reasonable accommodations—such as accessible venues, sign language interpreters, or captioning—to ensure equal participation.
Question 4: What distinguishes a 'special meeting' from a 'regular meeting' of a municipal governing body?
- Special meetings require a unanimous vote to convene; regular meetings do not
- Special meetings are called outside the normal schedule for specific purposes and require advance notice (Correct answer)
- Special meetings are open to the public; regular meetings are not
- Special meetings may only be called by the mayor, never by council members
Correct answer: Special meetings are called outside the normal schedule for specific purposes and require advance notice
Special meetings are convened outside the regular schedule to address specific items and require proper notice to members and the public as prescribed by law.
Question 5: When minutes of a previous meeting contain an error, the proper procedure is to:
- Destroy and rewrite the minutes before filing
- Offer a motion to amend the minutes at the meeting where they are considered for approval (Correct answer)
- File a written objection with the city attorney within 30 days
- Have the clerk unilaterally correct the error without a vote
Correct answer: Offer a motion to amend the minutes at the meeting where they are considered for approval
Corrections to minutes are made by a motion to amend before or during their formal approval, and the approved minutes reflect the correction.
Question 6: What is a 'point of order' in parliamentary procedure?
- A motion to organize the agenda by priority
- A member's objection that the rules are being violated, requiring the chair to rule (Correct answer)
- A formal written complaint submitted to the presiding officer
- A request to move an agenda item to a different position
Correct answer: A member's objection that the rules are being violated, requiring the chair to rule
A point of order is raised immediately when a member believes a parliamentary rule has been violated, and the chair must rule on it promptly.
Question 7: Which of the following actions may be taken in a reconvened (adjourned) meeting?
- Only new business not addressed at the original meeting
- Any unfinished business left from the original meeting at the point it was adjourned (Correct answer)
- Any business, including entirely new agenda items, as if it were a new meeting
- Only items approved by a two-thirds vote of members present
Correct answer: Any unfinished business left from the original meeting at the point it was adjourned
A reconvened meeting continues from where the original meeting left off, addressing unfinished business in sequence.
CMC Meeting Administration & Parliamentary Procedure 3
What is the purpose of a 'consent agenda' in municipal meetings?