Welcome to a City Council Meeting

The High Point City Council meets in official session on the first and third Monday of every month at 4:45 p.m., in Council Chambers on the third floor of the Municipal Building, 211 South Hamilton Street. Public hearings begin at 5:30 p.m.

On the Thursday after each Monday meeting, a Council session is held at 9 a.m.

During Council sessions on Monday, Council members discuss items to be placed on the agenda for the meeting on Thursday.

All meetings except Closed Sessions are open to the public.
Your attendance and participation are encouraged and highly valued. You will be given an opportunity to address City Council about any issue on the agenda, as well as non-agenda items.
You will be asked to:
• limit comments to five minutes,
• speak into the microphone at the podium,
• state your name and address and introduce your topic, and
• present your major points, then support them with facts or reasons.

Remember that:
• personal attacks or displays of anger will detract from your testimony.
• repetition is not productive. If someone has covered the points you intend to make, express your support for that position and briefly summarize your thoughts.

You may be required to be sworn in by the City Clerk before speaking "for the record" during public hearings. If you submit photographs or other forms of documentation during public hearings, they become a part of the permanent record and remain on file in the City Clerk's office. Staff reports are submitted to City Council during Committee-of-the-Whole sessions.Written reports are made a permanent part of the record.

Agendas
The agenda for Thursday will reflect Council committee recommendations made during the previous Monday meeting. Thursday's agenda may also contain a Consent Agenda which lists items recommended for approval by the committees. These are items for which no further discussion is needed, so they are voted on as a block.

If more information is desired, a motion must be passed to remove an item from the Consent Agenda so that it can be considered separately.

Ordinances and Resolutions
Ordinances are legislative acts or local laws. They are the most binding form of City Council action, and may be amended, rescinded or repealed only by another ordinance. Ordinances which are being considered for adoption are published in a local newspaper in the "Legal Notices" section.

Resolutions are adopted to express Council policy or to direct certain types of administrative action. Resolutions of commendation, support and even sorrow are adopted from time to time. They are amended, rescinded or repealed by other resolutions.

Committees / Committee Reports
City Council members serve on committees - Finance, Public Safety, Public Services, Transportation and Planning and Development - to study issues and make recommendations to the full Council for action. Items submitted to Council are placed on the agenda under one of these committees as a committee report.

Motions
Through a motion, business is brought before the City Council. It is a formal proposal made by a Council member that certain action be taken, or it is a statement which expresses the opinion, desire or will of the Council. It requires a second to be placed before Council for a vote. In instances where there is no second, the motion dies.

Closed Sessions
A closed session is the only type of City Council meeting permitted by law to be closed to the public. They may be held to discuss matters where confidentiality is required for the public interest, including buying and selling property, negotiating contracts, national security, lawsuits and some personnel issues.

Quasi-Judicial Actions
When deciding the rights--usually property rights--of people, the Council may depart from its normal legislative role and take on a role like a judge (quasi-judicial). To ensure impartiality, Council members must (1) avoid outside contact with all parties involved in the issue; (2) decide the issues based on facts; and, (3) state all possible conflicts of interest. In a quasi-judicial hearing, each side is allowed to make a presentation.

Form of Government
The City of High Point operates under a Council-Manager form of government. There are eight members of City Council and a Mayor. A member of Council is elected Mayor Pro Tem by a majority vote of the City Council.
The Mayor is the presiding officer of the City Council. In the Mayor's absence, the Mayor Pro Tem presides.

6 - 2 - 1 Ward System
The City of High Point is divided into six wards. A representative is elected from each ward to serve as a member of City Council. The Mayor and two other members of council are elected "at-large," that is, by all city voters. City Council elections are non-partisan.

Terms of Office
In 2000, the High Point City Council voted to change its term of office from four years to two years for all members, as well as the mayor. A special election was held in 2002 to elect representatives to Wards 1, 2, 3, and 6 and one at-large seat.

In November 2003, candidates were elected to fill all eight Council seats and the mayor's post.

If you have questions about an item on the agenda, or a matter to be submitted to City Council for consideration, or if you would like information about the City Council or a City Council meeting, please call City Clerk Lisa Vierling at 336-883-3536.