Petoskey council moves to require mayor and city manager to set agendas; two council members can request additions

Mayor John called the special session to order on June 22, 2026 and opened discussion of proposed changes to agenda procedures. "I call this city council special session for June 22nd, 2026," he said as the meeting began.

Council members spent the bulk of the session revising language that governs how items are added to the meeting agenda. After extended debate about control, transparency and the risk of informal agenda-setting, members coalesced around a draft that would make agenda-setting a collaboration between the mayor and the city manager, and permit two council members to request the inclusion of items.

Why it matters: Council members said the change is intended to prevent a single council member or an outside caller from unilaterally adding items while preserving a practical route for colleagues to bring forward matters they consider important. Several members cited concerns about the Open Meetings Act and about avoiding a hidden majority decision before a public meeting.

Operational detail: As read aloud during the session, council worked from language that would state, in essence, that the mayor and city manager will collaborate to establish meeting agendas and that two members of the city council may request the city manager to include items on the agenda of council meetings. Members agreed to remove a phrase that would have allowed unspecified "others" to trigger agenda additions.

Council members also discussed timing for distributing agenda packets; the prevailing preference was five days' advance posting with language to permit flexibility for extenuating circumstances such as holidays.

What’s next: Staff will incorporate the revised phrasing and submit the edited policy language to the city attorney for review, then bring a revised draft back to council for final consideration.