Rules committee directs staff to draft public decorum standards for meetings

The Lee's Summit City Council Rules Committee voted Monday to direct staff to draft a public decorum document that will spell out expectations for behavior during council and committee meetings, including guidance for online participation.

Committee Chair (Chair) opened the discussion by describing the goal: to align public behavior standards with parliamentary procedure and local practice and to produce a concise, accessible document. "Maybe we put it on the back of [the public comment form] so everybody has seen it," the chair said, urging the committee to make the standards readily available to speakers.

Why it matters: committee members said clear, posted decorum rules could help meetings run efficiently, reduce disruptive interactions, and make expectations transparent for residents who appear to speak. The chair asked staff to consolidate sample provisions from other municipalities into a single document showing options from least- to most-restrictive so the committee can select preferred language.

Council members generally supported separating internal rules for council conduct from the public-facing rules. Council member Atkins recommended including online conduct and social-media considerations: "So can we please hold space for that as we move forward into our new drafts so that both drafts, like internal communication and external communication, can all have a strong task with online." Several members suggested posting the finalized public decorum on the comment form, the chamber entrance and on the city's website.

Staff response and timeline: staff (including Miss Weber) said they will try to provide a consolidated packet ahead of the next agenda deadline and clerks will upload any material submitted during the meeting. The committee set Aug. 20 as the next Rules Committee meeting and agreed that meeting will focus solely on reviewing the public decorum draft.

What the committee did not do: the meeting did not adopt a final policy or ordinance; members discussed options and directed staff to prepare a draft ordinance or rules for future line-by-line review.

Next steps: staff will assemble municipal examples and present a draft public decorum document at the Aug. 20 Rules Committee meeting for detailed review and possible forwarding to full council.