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03-31-15 Organizational Meeting Agenda CITY COMMISSION DERAIL(EACH CITY OF DELRAY BEACH, FLORIDA had ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING- TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2015 5:00 P.M.DELRAY BEACH CITY HALL Y � 20U1 The City will furnish appropriate auxiliary aids and services where necessary to afford an individual with a disability an equal opportunity to participate in and enjoy the benefits of a service, program, or activity conducted by the City. Contact the City Manager at 243-7010, 24 hours prior to the program or activity in order for the City to reasonably accommodate your request.Adaptive listening devices are available for meetings in the Commission Chambers. 1. Call to Order/Commission Roll Call 2. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag 3. Oath of Office administered to Newly-Elected City Commission Members: Commissioner Shelly Petrolia Commissioner Mitchell Katz Mayor Cary D. Glickstein 4. Roll Call Newly Sworn-in Commission 5. Selection of Vice-Mayor(for the term April 1, 2015 through March 24, 2016) 6. Selection of Deputy Vice-Mayor(for the term April 1, 2015 through March 24, 2016) 7. Review and Acceptance of regularly scheduled City Commission Meeting dates for the period April 2015 through March 2016. 8. Review and Adoption of Rules of Procedure - Delray Beach City Commission (Local Rules) 9. Review and Adoption of Procedures for Quasi Judicial Hearings 10. Commission Comments Please be advised that if a person decides to appeal any decision made by the City Commission with respect to any matter considered at this meeting, such person will need to ensure that a verbatim record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is based.The City neither provides nor prepares such record. w MEMORANDUM W TO: Mayor and City Commissioners FROM: Chevelle D. Nubin, City Clerk THROUGH: Donald B. Cooper, City Manager DATE: March 11, 2015 SUBJECT: AGENDA ITEM OM.7- ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING OF MARCH 31,2015 REVIEW AND ACCEPTANCE OF REGULARLY SCHEDULED CITY COMMISSION MEETING DATES FOR THE PERIOD APRIL 2015 THROUGH MARCH 2016 BACKGROUND Below is the list of the regularly scheduled City Commission meeting dates for the period April 2015 through March 2016: City Commission Meetings: April 06, 2015(Monday) -Regular Meeting (This is due to the FA U Panel Discussion) April 14, 2015-Workshop Meeting April 21, 2015-Regular Meeting May 5, 2015-Regular Meeting May 12, 2015-Workshop Meeting May 19, 2015-Regular Meeting June 02, 2015-Regular Meeting June 09, 2015-Workshop Meeting June 16, 2015-Regular Meeting July 07, 2015-Regular Meeting July 14, 2015-Workshop Meeting July 21, 2015-Regular Meeting August 04, 2015-Regular Meeting August 11, 2015-Workshop Meeting August 18, 2015-Regular Meeting September 03, 2015 (Thursday)Regular Meeting - (Tentative Budget) Meeting cannot be scheduled before this date September 08, 2015-Workshop Meeting September 15, 2015 Regular Meeting-(Adoption of Final Budget) October 06, 2015-Regular Meeting October 13, 2015-Workshop Meeting October 20, 2015-Regular Meeting November 03, 2015-Regular Meeting November 10, 2015-Workshop Meeting November 17, 2015-Regular Meeting December 01, 2015-Regular Meeting December 08, 2015-Workshop Meeting January 05, 2016-Regular Meeting January 12, 2016-Workshop Meeting January 19, 2016-Regular Meeting February 02, 2016-Regular Meeting February 09, 2016-Workshop Meeting February 16, 2016-Regular Meeting- (Delray Beach by the Venetian Las Vegas is scheduled from February 12-21, 2016) March 01, 2016-Regular Meeting March 08, 2016-Workshop Meeting March 15, 2016-Regular Meeting March 24, 2016-Annual Organizational Meeting RECOMMENDATION Recommend Commission review and acceptance of the City Commission meeting dates for the period April 2015 through March 2016. Calendar for year 2015 (United States) January February March Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 4 5 6 7 8 910 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 29 30 31 4:013:0 20:0 26:0 3:0 11:0 18:40 25:0 5:0 13:0 20:41 27:C April May June Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 1 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 26 27 28 29 30 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 28 29 30 31 4:0 11:0 18:0 25:0 3:0 11:0 18:0 25:0 2:0 9:316:0 24:0 July August September Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 1 1 2 3 4 5 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 26 27 28 29 30 31 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 27 28 29 30 30 31 1:0 8:0 15:0 24:0 31:0 6:0 14:0 22:C 29:0 5:0 13:0 21:0 27:0 October November December Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 29 30 27 28 29 30 31 4:0 12:41 20:C 27:0 3:0 11:0 19:C 25:0 3:0 11:4118-C 25:0 Holidays and Observances: Jan 1 New Year's Day Sep 14 Rosh Hashana Jan 19 Martin Luther King Day Sep 23 Yom Kippur Feb 14 Valentine's Day Oct 4 Last Day of Sukkot Feb 16 Presidents'Day Oct 12 Columbus Day(Most regions) Apr 4 Passover(first day) Oct 31 Halloween Apr 5 Easter Sunday Nov 11 Veterans Day Apr 11 Last Day of Passover Nov 26 Thanksgiving Day Apr 13 Thomas Jefferson's Birthday Dec 7 Chanukah/Hanukkah(first day) May 10 Mothers'Day Dec 14 Last Day of Chanukah May 25 Memorial Day Dec 24 Christmas Eve Jun 21 Fathers'Day Dec 25 Christmas Day Jul 3 'Independence Day'observed Dec 26 Day After Christmas Day Jul 4 Independence Day Dec 31 New Year's Eve Sep 7 Labor Day Calendar generated on www.timeanddate.com/calendar Calendar for year 2016 (United States) January February March Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 28 29 27 28 29 30 31 31 2:0 9:0 16:0 23:0 31:0 8:0 15:0 22:0 1:0 8:40 15:0 23:0 31:0 April May June Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 29 30 31 26 27 28 29 30 7:0 14:0 22:0 29:0 6:0 13:0 21:0 29:0 4:4012:0 20:0 27:0 July August September Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 28 29 30 31 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 4:0 11:0 19:0 26:0 2:6 10:0 18:0 24:0 1:0 9:0 16:0 23:0 30.0 October November December Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 27 28 29 30 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 30 31 9:0 16:0 22:0 30:0 7:0 14:0 21:0 29:0 7:C13:020-329-0 Holidays and Observances: Jan 1 New Year's Day May 30 Memorial Day Nov 11 Veterans Day Jan 18 Martin Luther King Day Jun 19 Fathers'Day Nov 24 Thanksgiving Day Feb 14 Valentine's Day Jul 4 Independence Day Dec 24 Christmas Eve Feb 15 Presidents'Day Sep 5 Labor Day Dec 25 Christmas Day Mar 27 Easter Sunday Oct 10 Columbus Day(Most regions) Dec 26 'Christmas Day'observed Apr 13 Thomas Jefferson's Birthday Oct 31 Halloween Dec 31 New Year's Eve May 8 Mothers'Day I Nov 8 Election Day Calendar generated on www.timeanddate.com/calendar EITY OF DELRAY BEREH DELRAY BEACH CITY CLERK bcad100 N.W. 1st AVENUE DELRAY BEACH, FLORIDA 33444 5611243-7000 All-AmericaCity I I Fj 1993 RULES OF PROCEDURE - DELRAY BEACH CITY COMMISSION 2001 I. GENERAL PARLIAMENTARY RULES. The general parliamentary procedure to be followed by the City Commission of the City of Delray Beach, Florida, except as otherwise modified by the City Commission or as modified or amended herein, shall be in accordance with the rules of parliamentary procedures entitled"Robert's Rules of Order",being the reprint of the 1907 edition. II. LOCAL RULES. A. The following Local Rules of Procedure shall be applicable to the organization and conduct of business, as well as preparation and publication of agendas, of the City ConmAssion of the City of Delray Beach, Florida. To the extent these Local Rules shall modify or conflict with the standard "Robert's Rules of Order" as adopted above; these Local Rules shall prevail to the extent of their conflict or inconsistency with "Robert's Rules of Order". In addition to these local rules, rules for quasi judicial proceedings shall apply to proceedings which requite quasi judicial hearings. 1. Regular meetings of the City Conunission shall be held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month, with the exception of the month of December and any Delray Beach municipal election dates, at 6:00 p.m., in City Hall. During the month of December only, the regular City Commission meetings shall occur on the first and second Tuesdays at 61:00 p.m. at City Hall. There shall be no regular City Commission meeting on the date of a Delray Beach municipal election. A meeting that would otherwise have been scheduled for such date shall be held on the Thursday immediately following the election at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall. The second regular ineeting during the mondz of March shall take place immediately after the annual organizational meeting and the swearing in of the new Commission. 2. Workshop meetings of the City Commission shall be held on the second Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. in City Hall, except that thete shall be no workshops in the month of December. 3. All regular City Commission meetings shall be held in the City Commission Chambers at City Hall, unless otherwise designated by the City Commission. All workshop City Connnission meetings will be held in either the First Floor SERVICE PERFORMANCE ° INTEGRITY ° RESPONSIBLE - INNOVATIVE ° TEAMWORK Page 2 Conference Room or the Commission Chambers at City Hall, as determined by the City Manager. All meetings of the City Commission shall end by 11:00 p.m. unless extended beyond 11:00 p.m. by a motion of the City Commission pursuant to Section 3.12 of the City's Charter. Thereafter, the meeting shall end upon the conclusion of each hour (12:00, 1:00, etc.), unless extended by a motion of the City Commission pursuant to Section 3.12 of the City's Charter for each hour. Any unfinished business shall be considered at a time and place set by the City Commission. 4. There may also be special workshop meetings at such other times as so designated in advance by the City Commission for the purposes of holding joint meetings with City boards, etc., to include receiving annual reports and presentations from the City's boards, committees, agencies and authorities, or for such other purposes as may be deemed necessary or desirable by the City Commission. 5. Special meetings shall be called at the request of the Mayor in accordance with the provisions of the City Charter and the Code of Ordinances. G. To the extent compatible with the conduct of business, all workshop meetings shall be.held on an informal basis. The applicability of the City's general rules shall not be strictly applied. Public comments after presentations will be limited to three (3) minutes at the Mayor's discretion or by consensus of the City Commission. Presentations made at workshop meetings shall be limited to fifteen (15) minutes, unless the Commission, by consensus, agrees to extend the time. In the event there is a special meeting agenda during a workshop meeting, public comment on only the special meeting agenda items, not to exceed 3 minutes per person in total, shall be allowed prior to the start of the special meeting agenda. 7. Although appropriate members of the City Attorney's Office and City Administration may place items on either the workshop or the regular agendas, all regular agendas shall be subject to review in advance by the Mayor prior to their publication, except that a majority of the members of the City Commission may request that the City Manager's office place or remove an item on such regular agendas, and that all such regular agendas shall be further subject to the approval of the City Commission preceding the conduct of business at each such meeting. If the Commission or any of its members wish to place or remove an item on an agenda, or if any member of the Commission has a question or concern about an item, any such request or inquiry shall be directed to the City Manager's office for disposition as opposed to any Commission member contacting any City officer or employee who is subject to the direction and supervision of the City Manager. 8. With regard to the agenda for regular City Commission meetings, the following shall apply: a. To the extent possible, the City Administration shall group all matters by subject area, and shall place as many as possible on the consent portion of the agenda. Page 3 b. The agenda format shall be generally as follows: A call to order; invocation, pledge of allegiance, formal approval of minutes, and presentations,if any, public comments and inquiries from the floor, formal approval of the agenda, the consent agenda, the regular agenda, public hearings, first readings of ordinances, followed by items not specifically on the published agenda from the City Manager, the City Attorney, and members of the City Commission. The public comment and inquiry portion shall not extend beyond 7:00 p.m. and in the event there are persons who have not been able to voice their comments prior to 7:00, the public comment portion shall resume after the public hearing segment of the agenda. The public hearing segment of the agenda shall be duly advertised for and shall commence at 7:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as possible. c. Any items received during the public comment portion of the regular agenda may, at the discretion of the Commission, be discussed by the City Commission at the time of such presentation, may be directed by the Commission to the City Manager for action or resolution, or may be added to a subsequent workshop agenda if a member of the City Commission so specifically requests. d. (1) Votes taken on ordinances, resolutions, and motions shall be by roll call and shall be recorded by the City Clerk. The roll call shall be on a rotating basis and according to the numbered Commission seats,i.e.: Motion A—Order of rotation: Seat 1, Seat 2, Seat 3, Seat 4, Seat 5 Motion B—.Order of rotation: Seat 2, Seat 3, Seat 4, Seat 5, Seat 1 Motion C—Order of rotation: Seat 3, Seat 4, Seat 5, Seat 1, Seat 2, etc. (2) There shall be no votes taken on any non-published/non-agendaed items, except upon the declaration of an emergency in which case the City Commission shall follow the voting requirements pursuant to Section 3.12 of the City's Charter. e. All public comment on agendaed or non-agendaed items shall be limited to not more than three (3) minutes,in total, per person at regular Commission meetings and two (2) minutes, in total, per person at workshop Commission meetings subject to an extension of such time upon the formal approval by a majority vote of the City Commission members present and voting on such request for extension of time. Public comment on quasi-judicial items and items that have been set for a formal public hearing shall only be allowed when those items are specifically heard by the Commission. All public comments must be addressed to the Commission as a body and not to individuals. Any person making impertinent or slanderous remarks or who becomes boisterous while addressing the Commission shall be barred by the presiding officer from speaking further, unless permission to continue or again address the Commission is granted by a vote of the Commission members pursuant to Section 3.12 of the City's Charter. f. The Mayor shall have the authority to limit immaterial, unnecessary, or redundant presentations or requests. Page 4 9. The City Commission of the City of Delray Beach is committed to maintaining civility in public and political discourse and expects the public to do the same. All comments by members of the Commission, advisory board members, and/or the public shall: a. Respect the right of all citizens in our community to hold different opinions; b. Avoid rhetoric intended to humiliate or question the wisdom of those whose opinions are different from ours; C. Strive to understand differing perspectives; d. Be trud-Lf,l not accusatory and avoid distortion;and C. Avoid violence, prejudice and incivility towards citizens, employees, and officials of the City of Delray Beach. 111. CITY BOARD, COMMITTEE COMMISSION AND AGENDA APPOINTMENTS. A. All appointments to city boards, commissions and committees whose members are not subject to appointment by other entities, and in accordance with any applicable restrictions by State Statute, shall be made in accordance with the following procedures: 1. All vacancies subject to appointment to such city boards, commissions and committees shall be made on a nomination basis by each of the members of the City Commission. This nomination shall be construed to be a Motion to Appoint. The Commission shall follow the voting requirements pursuant to Section 3.12 of the City's Charter. A Commissioner may defer his or her nomination for an appointment to the next scheduled regular City Commission meeting. If a Commissioner is not ready to make his or her nomination for an appointment at the next scheduled regular meeting, regardless of whether the Commissioner is present or absent at the meeting, the nomination shall rotate to the next appropriate Commissioner. Under no circumstances may a Commissioner nomination for an appointment be delayed for more than two consecutive regular City Coirm ission meetings. 2. The rotation system shall be by numbered Commission seat and insofar as possible, each Commission seat shall be assigned an equal number of initial appointments from the date of adoption of these rules,i.e.: Board A—Order of Rotation: Seat 1, Seat 2, Seat 3, Seat 4, Seat 5 Board B—Order of Rotation: Seat 2, Seat 3, Seat 4, Seat 5, Seat 1 Board C—Order of Rotation: Seat 3, Seat 4, Seat 5, Seat 1, Seat 2 3. A separate rotation list shall be established by the City Clerk's office for each such City board, commission, or committee, and the City Clerk's office shall maintain records of the rotation list, the status of same, and the nominations made by each Commissioner. Page 5 4. In the event that an individual, duly nominated and appointed to a board, commission or committee by a Commissioner at a City Commission meeting, is unable to accept or declines the appointment, for whatever reason, then the Commissioner who appointed the individual unable to serve shall have the opportunity to nominate a replacement appointee to fill the vacancy before the nomination ability passes to the next Commissioner on the rotation system. Such replacement nomination by the Commissioner shall be made no later than the second consecutive regular meeting subsequent to the meeting at which the declined appointment was made. If the replacement nomination is not made within this time frame, then the nomination ability shall pass to the next Commissioner on the rotation system. 5. Appointments for vacancies occurring on a board wherein the particular member has, for whatever reason, not fulfilled their entire term of membership on that particular board, commission or committee, shall be to complete the unexpired term only, unless the unexpired term is for a period of time less than six (6) months. In that event, the appointed member shall then be allowed to serve the following full regular term without reappointment. 6. These rules, when adopted, shall supersede any other general rules or local rules which are inconsistent herewith, to the extent of such inconsistency. IV. CITY MANAGER/CITY ATTORNEY ANNUAL REVIEW. The City Commission shall annually, in the month of May, conduct a performance evaluation and salary review of the City Manager and City Attorney. Approved and adopted by the City Commission of the City of Delray Beach, Florida, at the 7`s Meeting held on October ,2014. ATTEST. Chevelle D. Nubin,MAC City Clerk w MEMORANDUM r TO: Mayor and City Commissioners FROM: DATE: March 12, 2015 SUBJECT: AGENDA ITEM OM.9-ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING OF MARCH 31,2015 REVIEW AND ADOPTION OF PROCEDURES FOR QUASI JUDICIAL HEARINGS City of Delray Beach Procedures for Quasi-Judicial Hearings 1. Definitions: A. Applicant- the owner of record or his or her authorized agent. B. Citizen Participants - those members of the general public, other than the City, the Applicant, or other Party to the proceeding, who attend a quasi-judicial public hearing for the purpose of being heard on a particular application. C. Ex Parte - communications, oral or written, between members serving on the board or commission and the public, other than those made on the record at the hearing. D. Party - the owner of property located within 500 feet of the property that is the subject of the application and who meets the additional requirements set forth in Section 3.13 below. E. Quasi-Judicial Proceedings — proceedings where existing policies and regulations are applied to a specific property. Examples are site specific rezonings, conditional use approvals, site plan approvals, waivers and variances, plat approvals, certificates of appropriateness, historic designations, but not land use amendments or amendments to the comprehensive plan and not generally, amendments to the Land Development Regulations. F. Relevant Evidence — evidence that either strengthens or weakens the application by supporting or disapproving factual assertions related to the application. 2. General Procedures for City Commission Consent Items A. Consent Agenda Items. Applications before the City Commission for plat approval, variances, or waivers may be placed on the consent agenda, if the Applicant signs a statement that the Applicant concurs with the Staff recommendation. B. Removal from Consent Agenda. The Applicant, the Mayor, any Commissioner, or any member of the public may request that an application for approval of a plat, waiver, or variance be removed from the City Commission consent agenda. If removed, the application will be placed on the next regular City Commission meeting for a quasi-judicial I hearing, or if the Applicant consents, the hearing may take place at the meeting the application was removed from the consent agenda. 3. General Processing for Hearings A. File/Inspection. (1) Establishing the File. The Planning and Zoning Department shall establish a project file. All written communications shall be sent to the Planning and Zoning Department. The project file will be maintained in the Planning and Zoning Department. (2) Contents of the File. The project file will contain all written communications that are sent to the Planning and Zoning Department prior to the hearing. The project file will include, but not be limited to, all Staff reports, pertinent sections of the Land Development Regulations and Comprehensive Plan. The file will contain curricula vitae, drawings, documents and all other pertinent documents. (3) Index. The Planning and Zoning Department staff will provide the City Clerk or Board clerk with an index to the project file at the Hearing. (4) Supplementation of the File. The City Clerk or Board clerk will supplement the project file with all documents submitted at the hearing. (5) File for Inspection. The project file will be made available upon request for public inspection. (6) File Placed into the Record. The Planning and Zoning Staff member making the presentation shall place the project file into the record at the hearing. B. Party Status (1) Party Status - Written Requests; Timeframe. In order to obtain status as a Party, the owner of property located within 500 feet of the subject property must make a written request, meeting the requirements of 3B(2) below, which is received by the Planning and Zoning Department three or more business days prior to the hearing. (2) Contents of Request. The written request shall outline the effect of the application on the owner's property. To obtain Party status, the owner must describe the effect of the application on owner's property that is different from the effect on the public as a whole. 2 The City Attorney's Office will advise as to whether sufficient facts have been alleged to achieve Party status and shall notify the person requesting Party status of the City Attorney's opinion as to the adequacy of the request. Ultimate decisions as to Party status shall be made by the City Commission or the Board. The decision to confer Party status at the hearing before the City Commission or a Board shall not be seen as a waiver of the City's right to contest the standing of any Party in court. C. Time Limits (1) Staff Time Limits. The City Staff shall have up to 10 minutes (including the presentation of witnesses and expert witnesses) to present the city's case. (2) Applicant Time Limits. The Applicant shall have up to 10 minutes (including the presentation of witnesses and expert witnesses) to present the Applicants case. (3) Party Time Limits. A Party may have up to 10 minutes (including the presentation of witnesses and expert witnesses). (4) Citizen Participants in General. Citizen participants not represented by a representative speaker shall have three (3) minutes to speak. (5) Participants with a Representative. Speakers representing a group of six (6) or more interested citizens in attendance at the meeting shall have six (6) minutes to speak, as long as those being represented identify themselves and yield their time to the representative at the meeting. (6) Representing an Organization. Speakers representing an organization that is comprised of interested citizens shall have six (6) minutes to speak. (7) Extension of Time by the Commission or Board. The Commission or the Board may, at their discretion, extend the time for presentations. 4. Conduct of the Hearing. A. Swearing in of Witnesses. All Witnesses, Parties, the Applicant, Citizen Participants and their representatives and City Staff who plan to speak at the hearing shall collectively be sworn at the beginning of the hearing by the City Clerk, the City Clerk's designee, the Board clerk, or the Board Chairperson, Vice-Chair, or Second Vice-Chair. 3 B. Disclosure of Ex Parte Communications. The Commission or Board shall disclose any ex parte communications and disclose whether any member physically inspected the property. To the extent possible, the Commissioner or Board member shall identify with whom the communication took place, summarize the substance of the communication, and the date of the site visit, if any. The Commissioners or Board members shall give the City Clerk, his or her designee, or Board clerk, any written ex parte communications they have received that are not already included in the project file. C. Presentation of the Case. 1. The City Staff shall present its case. 2. The Applicant shall present its case. 3. Parties may present their case. 4. Citizen participants or their representatives may speak for or against the application. 5. The opportunity to cross-examination will occur after the presentation of a witness, and the manner and the conduct of cross-examination shall be as provided in these rules. 6. The City Staff, the Applicant, and Parties may have two minutes each for rebuttal 7. The Commission or Board may ask questions at any time during the proceeding. 8. The Commission or Board will commence deliberations and render a decision. D. Basis of Decision. All decisions shall be based on the evidence presented at the hearing on the case, which shall include the agenda materials, minutes, the entire project file, testimony presented, and other evidence presented. Strict rules of evidence shall not apply, but evidence must be relevant to the issues before the Commission or the Board. 5. Cross-examination. A. Persons to be Cross-Examined. The City Staff, the Applicant, Parties, their respective witnesses and Citizen Participants are subject to cross- examination as set forth herein. B. Cross-Examination Guidelines. 4 1. Citizen Participants are subject to cross-examination by the Mayor or Board Chair only. In the event of an absence of the Mayor or Board Chair, the term Mayor or Board Chair shall be deemed to include the person authorized to run the meeting in their absence. If the Staff, the Applicant, or Parties desire to have the Mayor or Board Chair cross examine a Citizen Participant, they shall, whenever possible, present written cross-examination questions to the Mayor or Board Chair prior to the commencement of the cross- examination. The Mayor or Board Chair shall first ask the cross- examination questions submitted by Staff, then the Applicant, and finally the Parties based on who submitted a request and became a Party first. The Staff, Applicant, and any Parties' cross-examination through the Mayor or Board Chair is limited to two (2) minutes per Citizen Participant. 2. Only the City Staff, the Applicant, or a Party may cross-examine non-Citizen Participant witnesses. 3. Cross-examination by City Staff, the Applicant, or a Party shall be limited to two (2) minutes per witness each. 4. The Commission or Board is not limited to two (2) minutes and may ask questions of anyone who testifies at any time during the proceedings. C. Relevancy. All relevant evidence shall be accepted. D. Scope. The scope of the cross-examination shall be limited to the facts alleged by the person testifying in relation to the application. E. Good Faith Questions. The cross-examination shall not be designed to merely harass, intimidate, or embarrass the person testifying. F. Power to Halt Cross Examination. The Mayor or Board Chair shall determine whether the question and evidence is relevant and the proper scope of cross-examination. In the absence of the Mayor or Board Chair, the term Mayor or Board Chair shall be deemed to include the person authorized to run the meeting in their absence. The Mayor or Board Chair may defer to the City Attorney (or Assistant City Attorney) to determine the relevancy of the question and the evidence and the proper scope of the cross-examination. The person conducting the cross-examination may be stopped from pursuing a line of questioning, if the questioning is on an issue that is not relevant, the scope of proper cross examination is exceeded, or the cross-examination is conducted in a manner that is designed to harass, intimidate, or embarrass the person being cross- examined. If a person conducting the cross-examination continues to 5 pursue improper lines of questioning, the Mayor or Board Chair may halt the cross-examination. 6. Applicability. These rules only apply to proceedings and hearings that are quasi-judicial in nature. These rules are applicable to the City Commission and any Board that does not have specific rules for the conduct of quasi-judicial proceedings. 6