COUNCIL RULE 4.505 DISRUPTION OF MEETING
Any person who disrupts a regular meeting of the City Council, standing committees,
special or select committees, sub-committees or any other public meeting presided over
by a City Council Member may be forthwith barred, removed, or otherwise ejected, in
the discretion of the presiding officer, from further attendance at that meeting. If
necessary, due to the nature of the disruption, the audience may be cleared from the
Council Chambers or meeting location in the discretion of the presiding officer.
Any person who refuses to leave the City Council Chamber may be subject to arrest.
Disruption of a meeting includes the following types of behaviors:
1) Any form of political campaigning or electioneering regarding a specific candidate or
group of candidates in City elections;
2) Impeding the orderly progress of the meeting by shouting, yelling, whistling,
chanting, singing, dancing, clapping, foot stomping, snapping fingers, cheering, jeering,
using artificial noise makers or musical instruments, waving signs of any size, or
engaging in any other display of excessive noise, sounds, or movement;
3) Displaying or waving signs of any sort, except where used to support the speaker’s
presentation at the podium, and only where the sign is 21 inches by 21 inches or smaller
in size and cannot be displayed in a manner which unreasonably obstructs the view of the
dais for any member of the audience, regardless of message;
4) Audible noise from cellphones or other electronic devices;
5) Consumption of alcohol or controlled substances;
6) Making vulgar or offensive remarks or gestures, or using threatening language or
gestures, including but not limited to pantomiming discharging a firearm, choking, or
throat-cutting;
7) Refusing to stop speaking when his or her time has expired or is otherwise directed
by the presiding officer to do so due to disruptive behavior as described herein;
8) Returning to the meeting after having been removed or ejected, or attempting to do so.
