In order to ensure that Council meetings can be meaningful to you and other members of the public, the City Council uses a set of rules to govern the conduct of its meetings. These "Rules of Procedure" are for the convenience of those attending the meeting. The City Council follows "Robert's Rules of Order" for conducting official business. This page provides a brief summary of the order of business for a City Council meeting and expectations when speaking to the council.
Speak with the City Council
Discussion topics should be related to city policy, values, or operations.
To speak on topics that are scheduled to appear on that evening’s Council Meeting Agenda, please use the allotted comment period during the meeting.
There are two ways to address topics that are not scheduled to appear on the agenda:
Listening Sessions
Chat with Council in a casual setting
- Visitors can speak to Council before Regular Council meetings, which occur on the first and third Tuesdays of each month from 6–6:30 p.m. in the Eagan Room (2nd floor of City Hall)
- Listening sessions are intended to be a comfortable, relaxed, conversational setting for residents to share what's on their mind with Council. Council may not be able to resolve an issue in this setting, but they want to hear your questions, concerns, or ideas. These meetings are open to the public but are not televised or recorded in official meeting minutes.
Visitors to be Heard
Speak to City Council on the record during a televised meeting
- Visitors can speak on the record at any Council Meeting.
- Regular Meetings occur in the Council Chambers on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month at 6:30 p.m., and the open comment period appears at the end of the meeting agenda. Special Meetings occur in the Eagan Room on the 2nd Tuesday of each month, and the open comment period appears at the beginning of the meeting agenda.
- During this portion of the meeting, the Mayor will invite any speakers to approach the podium at the front of the room.
- Speakers should address the Mayor and the Councilmembers, not the audience, and keep comments under four (4) minutes in length.
- The Council may answer direct questions but will not take immediate action on any comments at this meeting.
Notice Regarding Televised Council Meetings
During election campaign periods, the Visitors to Be Heard portion of City Council meetings is not televised or included in meeting broadcasts. For the current election cycle, this practice will be in effect from May 19 through Nov. 3.
Members of the public may continue to attend City Council meetings and participate in the Visitors to Be Heard segment in person. All other portions of the meeting will be broadcast as usual.
Guidelines
For anyone addressing Council
- State your name and connection to Eagan, such as neighborhood, workplace, school, or business ownership.
- Avoid the use of profanity, obscenity, or personal attacks.
- Keep comments relevant to city business.
- Be mindful of time limits. The total time limit for all speakers at Visitors to be Heard is 10 minutes; the total time limit for all speakers at Listening Sessions is 30 minutes.
Register to Speak
Planning to speak with Council?
To help staff prepare for and manage all speakers during public comment periods, advance sign-up is appreciated but not required.
General Procedures
The following are summaries of basic terms, procedures, and explanations of how a council meeting is run.
Order of Business
The schedule for a Council meeting is shown on the agenda. An agenda is simply a list of business to be considered at a meeting and includes:
- Roll Call & Pledge of Allegiance
- Adopt Agenda/Approve Minutes
- Recognitions & Presentations
- Consent Agenda
- Public Hearings
- Old Business
- New Business
- Legislative/Intergovernmental Affairs Update
- Economic Development Authority
- Administrative Agenda
- Visitors to be Heard (10 Minute Total Time Limit)
- Executive Session
To find out about specific agenda items, refer to the corresponding City Council Agenda or call the Municipal Center at 651-675-5000. Agendas will be posted online no later than 4:00pm on Friday prior to the Council meeting.
To locate upcoming meeting agendas, visit Meetings, Agendas & Videos.
The Role of the Public
The City Council welcomes the public to all Council meetings, workshops, and hearings and you are encouraged to express your opinion during these meetings. To keep the agenda moving smoothly, the Council has adopted basic guidelines for making presentations before the Council. The purpose of the guidelines is:
- To provide for an orderly meeting.
- To provide equal and adequate time for review and consideration of agenda item.
- To provide equal rights to all members of the public who address the presiding officer.
- To provide the City Council with an equal and rational approach to all decisions.
Meeting Conduct Guidelines
The City Council has established the following guidelines for the conduct of City Council meetings:
- Persons attending a Council meeting may address the Council at the time at which specific items appear on the agenda.
- When addressing the Council, the presenter shall approach the podium and begin presenting by stating their name and address.
- All persons who speak must address the Mayor.
- At public hearings, all questions and remarks from an audience member are limited to four (4) minutes and shall be addressed to the Mayor. Each person is limited to one turn. The Mayor may use discretion whether to allow repeat statements from the same person.
- Presentations concerning items will be heard only upon approval of the Mayor.
- To help maintain order, applause or other disturbances are discouraged.
- Petitions should be presented to the City Administrator.
- Audience members are encouraged to address the Council but cannot make motions or otherwise participate in the meeting.
Non-Agenda Items - Visitors to be Heard & Listening Sessions
Individuals wishing to appear at regular meetings of the City Council relative to items not included on an agenda may speak or make presentations under the sections of the agenda entitled, Visitors to be Heard. The Visitors to be Heard section is scheduled at the end of the meeting and the total time limit for all speakers is 10 minutes. No Council action on a visitor's presentation should be expected at this meeting, since the Council will want to study all proposals or requests before making a decision.
The Consent Agenda
The Eagan City Council uses groups routine items needing little or no deliberation together on the Consent Agenda. These items are included under 'Consent Agenda' and are acted on with one vote unless a Council Member or citizen requests that the item be discussed or considered separately.
Public Hearings
Certain items on the agenda are identified as Public Hearings. These are formal proceedings giving citizens an opportunity to express their concerns on a specific issue. Some issues on which the Council is required to hold public hearings are the annual budget, public improvement projects, and levying of special assessments.
It is the Council's goal to complete action on each issue the same night as the hearing. However, there may be circumstances where additional information or action is needed; in these cases, a vote may be delayed until a later time. Depending on the situation, the hearing may be closed or continued to a future meeting date.
General Hearing Procedures
- Mayor opens the hearing.
- Staff describes the proposal.
- Those wishing to comment are heard.
- Formal action is taken to close the hearing.
- Council Members have an opportunity to comment and ask questions on the issue.
- Council takes action on the issue or defers decision.
How The Council Votes
Three members of the Council constitute a quorum. A majority vote is needed to adopt motions and general resolutions. A vote of 3/5 is required for most ordinances. Hearings on preliminary reports for improvements, comprehensive plan revisions, and zoning ordinance changes require a 4/5 vote.
Meeting Dates
With a few exceptions for holidays or community events, the City Council meets at 6:30 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of each month in the Council Chambers of the Municipal Center Building, 3830 Pilot Knob Road. The City Council also meets for Special Meetings as needed. Upcoming meeting dates are available via the Calendar.
Council Meeting Cablecasting & Webstream
With few exceptions, the regular City Council meetings are televised "live" over the City's Cable Television Access Eagan-TV on Channel Sixteen (16). These meetings are also recorded for replay. Meetings can also be streamed live via a link on the Meetings, Agendas & Videos page, and a link is available to download and play the meeting video after the meeting has ended.