Electors vote for seven Council Members “at large” meaning that Council Members represent the entire City, not a particular district. According to Chapter IV of the City Charter, “through the departments and agencies of the City government, the Council shall provide for the public peace and health and for the safety of persons and property.”
The Cedar Springs City Council elects one of its members to serve as Mayor and one of its members to serve as Mayor Pro-tem.
- City Council meetings are held at City Hall, 66 South Main St.
- Meetings are the second Thursday of each month, and begin at 7:00 p.m.
- Workshops are sometimes held at 6:15 p.m. before Council Meetings.
- The public is encouraged to attend all meetings of the City Council.
- 2020 Meeting Dates
Attending a City Council Meeting
If you are attending a Council meeting for the first time, the following information will be helpful:
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The meeting will be opened by the Mayor (or the Mayor Pro-Tem in the Mayor’s absence).
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Everyone in attendance stands for the Pledge of Allegiance.
Agenda
Items to be considered by the Council are listed on the Agenda. Because there are so many matters for the Council to discuss, the agenda is prepared in advance. Items will be considered in the order listed on the agenda.
Consent agenda items are routine in nature and are not discussed prior to approval unless a Council Member requests that the item be removed from the consent agenda and placed on the regular agenda.
- Agendas are posted online for review prior to the meeting
Public Comment (Citizen Participation)
People often come to Council meetings expecting to present their particular problem and get an immediate answer. Many of these problems could be solved much faster if they had been taken up directly with the City Manager.
The City Council welcomes and encourages citizens to speak during the Public Comment or Public Hearing Portion of the Council Agenda. However, Council policy is to hear the public comment, not to act on the public comment at that time. Concerns brought before the Council during the Public Comment portion of the agenda will be referred to the City Manager for action. If, after communicating with the City Manager, no resolution is reached, the concern will be elevated to the Mayor and then eventually to Council for action.
Those citizens wishing to speak on agenda and non-agenda items will be allowed a maximum of four minutes each to address their concerns. This is the only time during the Council meeting that citizens are allowed to address the Council.
Citizens addressing the Council will be asked to state their name and address for the record, but are not required to provide it.
Public Hearings
Public hearings are scheduled near the beginning of the meeting and are generally held for one of the following reasons:
- ordinance changes
- special assessments
- budget adoption
All meetings of the City Council are open to the public.
