City Council Meetings

This page contains general information about City Council meetings. Visit the public meetings calendar to view meeting agendas and packets. Contact the Office of the City Recorder (OCR) at ocr@milwaukieoregon.gov with questions or to submit public comments to the Council.

The OCR supports City Council by working to ensure the statutes and guidelines of Oregon's Public Meetings Laws (PML) (Oregon Revised Statute (ORS) 192.620) are applied appropriately and accurately. The actions and decisions made at all city meetings are held to these established criteria set by the State of Oregon.

City of Milwaukie Public Meetings must:

• Be Open and Accessible to the General Public
  (Except in Executive Session, see ORS 192.660)
• Be Held in a Smoke Free and Non-Discriminatory Location within the City 
  (Except for Training Sessions, see ORS 192.630)
• Be Properly Announced in Advance to the General Public
• Have Interpretive Services for the Hearing Impaired Available
   

City Council Meetings
There are several types of City Council meetings, each with a different format to help the Mayor, City Councilors and city staff focus on various topics, craft policy and conduct city business.  Most meetings are open to the public.

Work Sessions are held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month in the City Hall Council Chambers and on Zoom at 4 p.m. 
These meetings are OPEN to the public.

Regular Sessions are held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month in the City Hall Council Chambers and on Zoom at 6:30 p.m. 
These meetings are OPEN to the public.

Study Sessions are held on the second Tuesday of each month in City Hall Community Room and on Zoom at 5:15 p.m.. 
These meetings are  OPEN to the public.

Council Retreats, Tours, and Special Sessions are held on an as-needed basis at various locations.
These meetings usually OPEN to the public.

Executive Sessions are held on an as-needed basis for limited discussion only.
These meetings are CLOSED to the public. Media may attend but cannot report on the proceedings.

The Mayor, or in the Mayor’s absence, the Council President, presides over City Council meetings in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised edition.

The Agenda
​City Council considers the items that are published on the agenda. To propose an agenda item for City Council to consider, please contact OCR at least two weeks before a meeting. Note: members of the public may discuss any topic related to city business during the community comments portion of regular session meetings.

Agendas are published a week before the meeting at www.milwaukieoregon.gov/meetings  To receive email alerts when agendas are ready, visit www.milwaukieoregon.gov/subscribe. Printed agendas are also available to the public at City Hall and Ledding Library. To submit an agenda item or for any questions about Council Meetings, contact us at:

Live Broadcast and Streaming
Work, regular, and study sessions are recorded by Willamette Falls Studios. Meetings are broadcast live on Comcast channel 30 in city limits, the city's YouTube channel, and on Zoom . Full videos are available on the city's YouTube channel after the meeting. Members of the public may also make audio recordings City Council meetings.

Speaking at Council Meetings
The city welcomes and encourages all community members to express their views to city leaders in a respectful and appropriate manner. If you wish to speak during a regular session, fill out a speaker registration card available before meetings on the table outside Council Chambers, or below under Supporting Documents, and submit it to the city recorder in person or by email at ocr@milwaukieoregon.gov. Please note that once a speakers registration card has been submitted to the city recorder, it becomes part of the permanent public record.

There are three opportunities during a regular session meeting for the public to speak before the Council:

Agenda Item #5 Community Comments: to speak on topics not on the agenda. The Mayor will ask for requests and communications from the audience. Be aware that final City Council action on requests at this meeting is unlikely because the necessary ordinance, resolution or background information will not have been prepared. It is City Council’s wish that matters not on the agenda first be pursued with the responsible city department. The city manager will report at the following regular City Council meeting about any action that has been taken on items introduced during community comments.

Agenda Item #7 Business Items: to speak on a scheduled business topic.  After a city staff person or other presenter gives their report, the Mayor will ask for any public comments if any is identified through the speaker registration cards located in the hallway. Any correspondence regarding a business agenda item must be submitted by 3 p.m. the day of the City Council meeting.

Agenda Item #8 Public Hearing (if scheduled): to speak on a scheduled hearing topic. The Mayor will identify the subject and announce the opening of the hearing. The Mayor will ask for those in favor of the proposal to speak, those opposed, and for any other comments. The Mayor will announce when the hearing is closed, and there will be no further testimony. Any correspondence regarding a public hearing must be submitted to the city recorder by 3 p.m. the day of the City Council meeting.  Any correspondence submitted after that time may not be available for consideration by City Council. 

Government Ethics Rules: To provide open and transparent deliberations during public hearings, City Council is asked to declare any real or potential conflicts of interest and if they have had any ex-parte communications related to the hearing topic. To learn more about Oregon's government ethics rules, visit the city's ethics laws page (link below).

When Called to Speak: at the meeting, during the appropriate agenda item, the presiding officer will call your name, you should then:

• Come forward to the testimony table
• Press the spekaer button on the microphone stand
• Speak clearly into the microphone
• Begin by stating your name and city of residence
• Briefly state your views
• Be aware that City Council may want to ask you questions

Public Meeting Law (PML) Grievances
Milwaukie meeting bodies, including the City Council and all boards and committees, are subject to Oregon’s Public Meetings Law (PML). Violations of the PML should be reported through the grievance process outlined by state law and the Oregon Government Ethics Commission (OGEC). To report a violation of the PML by a Milwaukie meeting body, submit a written grievance statement to the Office of the City Recorder (OCR) by email to ocr@milwaukieoregon.gov or in-person at City Hall (10501 SE Main Street, Milwaukie). Once received the city will initiate the process as outlined by the OGEC (see link above).