CRESTVIEW — Passage of state Senate Bill 50 was the impetus for an in-depth update of the City Council's meeting procedures.
City attorney Jerry Miller spearheaded the rules’ revision, which passed unanimously during Monday evening's council meeting.
The senate bill helps make public meetings more open to the public, which, Miller said, has not been a local problem.
"I can tell you it wasn't directed at Crestview," Miller said, adding that Destin is also known for its willingness to allow public participation in meetings.
One area of Crestview's code that will be changed when the new rules go into effect Oct. 1 is use of the consent agenda, which is currently used to "deal with non-controversial issues," Miller said.
Under SB 50, the consent agenda will be limited to administrative issues. Miller had said that he hoped the council would revise its policy of adding its approval to matters that city regulatory boards already had approved.
Miller's new Rules of Procedure, adopted as Resolution 13-12, also re-order City Council meeting agendas, allowing three opportunities for public input, including "yellow card" requests to address the council as well as "unscheduled presentations."
Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview Council approves new meeting procedures