All illustrations for this series are by NYC-based artist Dorothee Pierrard.
This article is part of a series by Jennie Romer entitled How to Get Active in Local Politics. This is Part Three, click here for Part One.
Logistics of How Legislation is Heard and Voted on at City Council
A city council meeting* is the main meeting that all city council members must attend to vote on bills and conduct official business. This is sometimes called the “stated” meeting. In many jurisdictions, city council meetings occur every about two weeks during the legislative session. City council committee hearings are separate meetings of city council committees (budget, housing, sanitation, etc.) usually made up of 3-5 members where only the members of that committee are required to attend and only the members of that committee are allowed to vote.
If a bill is introduced at city council it generally will be assigned to a committee. Committee meetings are usually where the substantive hearings are held for bills that fall within that committee’s purview. The committee hearing is where testimony for or against the legislation takes place, and council members debate and ask questions. Bills pass out of committee if a majority of committee members vote for the bill. The next step for a bill in most cities is to move to the full city council for a vote at a stated city council meeting. The head of the city council — usually called the Speaker or President — usually sets the agenda of what is voted on at stated meetings. Some bills take longer than others to reach the floor after passing through a committee, often depending on the Speaker’s priorities. Additional testimony is usually not taken at the city council meeting before the vote, but often council members make a statement to explain their vote if a bill is controversial or means something special to them. Bills are approved by city council by a simple majority vote, then go to the Mayor’s office where bills are signed or vetoed. A mayoral veto can be defeated if a bill has a super-majority of council members in favor to override the veto (usually a vote of 2/3 of members).
New York’s City Hall.
Choosing a City Council Meeting or Hearing to Attend
Stated city council meetings generally involve a lot more pomp and circumstance than committee meetings, so you should attend a stated meeting if you’re looking for something very officious with a bit of spectacle. Stated meetings usually take place in the main city council chamber, which is usually the biggest and fanciest room at city hall. City council chambers often have murals, big painted portraits with gilded frames, and velvet chairs. The agenda can sometimes be very long, close to half a day, and usually includes a lot of ceremonious details. Standard agendas include a roll call, an invocation, adoption of minutes, announcements from various elected officials, ceremonies awarding certificates of appreciation, resolutions, and voting on bills.
Committee meetings are generally not nearly as formal as stated city council meetings. They take place in smaller rooms that often are furnished with folding chairs. There aren’t nearly as many ceremonious protocols at committee meetings aside from calling the meeting to order and role call. The majority of the time is spent holding hearings on specific bills that are before the committee. At the part of a committee hearing devoted to hearing a specific a bill, the council member that introduced the bill is usually asked to speak first, then other city council members, then representatives of the city agency or agencies that will be involved in implementing the bill, then any public officials or experts that the city council invites to testify. Public comment testimony is usually next, which means that community organizations, lobbyists, and individuals are given a certain amount of time each (usually two minutes) to testify for or against the legislation. Committee meetings are often shorter than stated meetings. However, if there are several bills on the agenda or if a bill attracts a lot of public comment, a committee hearing can last longer than a stated meeting. Sometimes the committee will vote on the bill at the committee hearing and sometimes the vote takes place at the following meeting.
Public testimony is generally only heard at committee meetings so if you want a chance to provide public testimony you should choose to attend a committee hearing.
Jennie Romer speaking at a New York City Council Sanitation Committee hearing about NYC’s plastic bag bill.
Attending a City Council Meeting
At this point you might be concerned that you don’t have all day to spend at a city council meeting. If you don’t have time to attend a whole meeting and don’t expect to testify, attending a city council meeting for one hour might be a more reasonable interim objective. Attending a city council meeting for one hour gives you the opportunity to see your local government in action and is an achievable goal for most people. If you can’t find a meeting that fits your schedule you can watch city council meetings online in many jurisdictions.
If you’re planning to attend the meeting in person you should try to find a meeting with something on the agenda that interests you. If nothing stands out to you, pick the meeting that’s most convenient for you and go anyway. You might want to bring a friend that’s also interested in attending a city council meeting so that you have someone to (quietly) talk to.
When you arrive a stated city council meeting there isn’t usually a sign-in sheet, but you can ask the bailiff if you’re not sure about whether there’s somewhere to sign in. If you’re attending a committee meeting you’ll usually have the opportunity to sign up to testify for or against a bill by filling out a slip (you name, address, and whether you are in favor or in opposition) and waiting in the audience for your name to be called. You can also submit written testimony (a letter or a typed up version of what you plan to say) for or against the legislation by leaving your written testimony with the bailiff. If you’re at a hearing with public testimony there’s usually a countdown clock on the wall, which shows how many minutes each public comment testimony speaker gets. Also remember to bring your driver’s license or ID card and allow for a few minutes to get through security and find the correct room.
If you’re planning to attend the meeting in person and staying for most of the meeting, I suggest bringing a snack or drink because most city halls don’t have food vendors on the premises. If you do decide to have a snack you should step outside of chambers for a few minutes to eat. You should also bring something to take notes with and resist the urge to play with your phone. Pay attention to how people interact. I sometimes like to pretend I’m watching an episode of Parks and Recreation, especially during public testimony when anyone can get up and talk. For example, at San Francisco Board of Supervisors meetings I remember one man that almost every meeting would make up a parody song about current events that he would sing during public testimony.
Attending just one city council meeting can teach you a lot about city politics and prepare you to be an effective advocate when there’s legislation that you care about pending before city council. After your first visit you’ll know how to find the city council calendar and agenda online, where city hall is, where the council chamber is, how to sign up to testify, and if you attended a committee hearing you’ll know how long public testimony can be and get a sense of what effective testimony look like.
* This series focuses on the logistics of NYC’s local politics and NYC’s City Council unless otherwise specified. However, this series is also meant to serve as an good general overview for people living anywhere in the U.S. Be sure to consult your municipality’s website for the rules specific to your jurisdiction.
This article is part of a series by Jennie Romer entitled How to Get Active in Local Politics. This is Part Three click here for Part Four (coming soon).