Title
City Council Rules of Decorum
Action
Action:
Adopt a policy establishing rules of decorum for City Council members’ interactions with one another and with the public during City Council meetings as recommended by the Budget, Governance, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.
Body
Committee Chair:
Malcom Graham, Budget, Governance, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee
Staff Resource(s):
Andrea Leslie-Fite, City Attorney
Monica Allen, City Manager’s Office
Explanation
NC General Statue Section 160A-81.11 allows governing bodies to adopt reasonable rules which govern the conduct of the public comment period, including rules to maintain order and decorum.
During the 2026 Annual Council Strategy Meeting, City Council discussed the value of creating and adopting rules of decorum to strengthen Council’s effectiveness when communicating and engaging within each other and with the public.
Following the discussion at the Annual Council Strategy Meeting, former Mayor Lyles requested volunteers to lead development of proposed decorum guidelines and bring them forward to Committee and Council.
Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell and Council Members Mazuera Arias, Mayo, and Owens formed the ad hoc work group to develop a set of guiding principles for Council engagement.
Committee Discussion
The Budget, Governance, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee discussed the work group’s recommendations at the August 24, 2026, and September 8, 2026, Committee meetings.
On September 8, 2026, the Budget, Governance and Intergovernmental Relations Committee voted unanimously by members present (Graham, Ajmera, Mayo, Owens) to recommend the establishment of Rules of Decorum in the form of a policy document detailing rules of procedure for the Charlotte City Council.
The recommended Rules of Decorum include:
An opening statement addressing decorum to be read by the Mayor or presiding officer at the start of each Council Meeting or Work Session;
Reasonable rules governing speake...
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