After

discussion at the annual city retreat and subsequent City

Council meetings, several revisions to Peachtree City's

ordinance governing meeting procedures and rules were

approved by the council at its May 4 meeting.

Among the

changes:

� Any person requesting to place an

item on the agenda for a council meeting can do so only

if the council has not taken action on the issue within

the past 180 days.

The city

clerk will not place an issue on a meeting agenda for

reconsideration within 180 days of such action unless a

request has been made by a member of council who voted on

the prevailing side the previous time or was absent at

the time of that vote. The 180-day requirement was not in

the previous edition of the ordinance.

� The presiding officer at the meeting

has the right to speak last on any item.

� At any point during a debate, unless

a council member is speaking, the mayor or presiding

officer of the meeting may close the debate and either

make a motion concerning the subject of the debate or

request that such a motion be made. If that motion is

seconded, the presiding officer shall call for a vote

unless a council member makes a superceding motion to

reopen the debate. If that motion is seconded, a vote

will be called for on that motion. If a majority votes to

continue the debate, it will be continued.

� A council member also may move to

limit the additional time for debate or to close the

debate. If that motion is seconded, it will be voted on

and the debate limited or closed if a majority votes to

do so.

Some key

changes have been made to the ordinance relating to

public participation. They include:

� Any person publicly disparaged

during a meeting by a city employee, appointed official

or contractor shall, upon request, be granted one

opportunity to address the council for up to three

minutes and respond to the remarks that were made.

� The City Council may, in its

discretion, allow an audience member to raise a matter

not on the agenda and address the council at the end of

the regular agenda. If action is required on that item,

it will be placed on a future agenda, which may or may

not be the next meeting.

� Several times in the ordinance, the

word "citizen" was changed to

"person" or some other word to signify a member

of the general public. This was done so there would be no

confusion about whether only residents of Peachtree City

were being referenced in the ordinance, as some noted

that the word "citizen" could cause one to

assume that it meant a citizen of Peachtree City.