Best practices from experts at Jurassic Parliament.

This edition of Cityvision explores some of the essentials of running a city—geared toward both supporting all our newly elected officials and providing important refreshers to those returning to office. As such, it wouldn’t be complete without sharing some information from Ann Macfarlane, co-founder of Jurassic Parliament, a Seattle-based consulting firm that provides training and resources to help local government officials run effective and fair public meetings.

As anyone who has attempted to facilitate a meeting with any complexity knows—it’s anything but simple. Macfarlane, who regularly hosts energetic sessions at AWC conferences and trainings, offers these tips on how to hold more efficient city council meetings. Start with this synopsis to gain tips on transforming your council meeting.

Better meeting management begins with two seemingly simple essentials—the ability of the chair and the agreement of the majority of the group members to follow democratic principles. Whether leading a council or a committee meeting, a chair needs three things:

1. Knowledge of how this system works.
2. A majority in favor of civility and this system.
3. The personal moxie, chutzpah, energy, and drive to put it all into practice.

The chair should serve as a “benevolent dictator,” enforcing the rules the group has chosen. They must also enforce the expectation that individual members seek recognition before speaking and be prepared to intervene to interrupt bad behavior. For example, if someone speaks up without being recognized, stop them. If someone speaks out of turn, interrupt them. If someone makes insulting remarks, cut them off.

While it’s important to understand the eleven duties of the chair (as defined by Robert’s Rules of Order) and how to accomplish them, no chair operates in a vacuum. As Macfarlane puts it: “Everybody on the council is responsible for the conduct of the meetings. It can’t be the chair alone. The vice-chair and others must be ready to step up if needed.”

Everybody on the council is responsible for the conduct of the meetings. It can’t be the chair alone. The vice-chair and others must be ready to step up if needed.

Jurassic Parliament offers several fundamental guidelines for any chair to follow:

• During meetings, the chair is the servant of the group, and the group is the final authority.
• Do one thing at a time.
• Do not allow anyone to speak a second time until everyone who wishes to do so has spoken once. Every member has a right to speak, and this rule makes for inclusive, robust discussion.
• Courtesy and respect are required.

While members must obey the chair’s directions (in other words, if they disagree, they can’t argue back), there are options in place to raise issues and concerns—namely, a point of order or an appeal.

A point of order is a motion claiming that a procedural mistake has been made. It can only be made by a member of the body itself, according to Robert’s Rules, but key staff may also be authorized to do so.

Any two members can appeal a ruling of the chair (one appealing and the other seconding), with an exception for any ruling in which there cannot be two reasonable interpretations. What follows would be a debate and vote—unless it’s a matter pertaining to proper use of language and decorum, in which case debate is not allowed.

Macfarlane closed the session with a final reminder about the importance of city officials understanding their roles and staying in their lane: “Legislation is the prerogative of the council. City managers or strong mayors support the council, but do not decide. Administration is the prerogative of the city manager or strong mayor. Council may not interfere.”

She also extolled city leaders and reminded them of what should be the bottom line for any elected official: “In a democracy, how we decide things is more important than what we decide, and courtesy and respect (no surprises, no unilateral action, no end-runs) are essential for the system to work. …Take pride and joy in what you are doing—it is a miracle. Everyday operations in our communities depend on you. You’re not here because you want to get rich, or because you have a private army—you are here because you care, and I honor you for it.”

In a democracy, how we decide things is more important than what we decide, and courtesy and respect (no surprises, no unilateral action, no end-runs) are essential for the system to work.

For deeper dives, consider these resources:

• Citizen’s Guide to Effective Conduct of Public Meetings Using Parliamentary Procedure and Robert’s Rules of Order in Washington State by Ann Macfarlane
• The Art of Gathering, How We Meet and Why It Matters, by Priya Parker
• Compelling People: The Hidden Qualities That Make Us Influential, by John Neffinger and Matthew Kohut
• Jurassic Parliament’s publications, blog, cheat sheets, and advice columns, including Macfarlane’s PowerPoint presentation from the 2023 AWC Annual Conference.