The City Council encourages expression of opinions by its citizens on any matter of community interest that is within the Council's scope of authority. Oral presentations during Public Hearings and the Public Comments portion of the agenda, written communications, and oral requests are all appropriate methods for expressing these views.

AGENDAS
Agendas for all public meetings of the City of Monterey are published online at I-SEARCH Monterey and posted in the glass case outside the Council Chamber. To receive notifications of published agendas of the City Council and various boards and commissions, you may subscribe to agenda notification emails.

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Location
Regular meetings of the Monterey City Council are held the first and third Tuesdays of the month. During the COVID-19 pandemic, please see participation details at the top of each agenda, as changing health conditions can affect attendance options, which depending on the status of the pandemic may be in-person, hybrid, or virtual (teleconference) in compliance with the requirements of the Brown Act. For meetings held in the Council Chamber (Few Memorial Hall of Records), the location is at the corner of Pacific and Madison streets, Monterey, CA.  The street address for the Council Chamber is 580 Pacific St. and there is parking in the Dutra St. parking lot behind the building. 

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ZOOM
For assistance with attending a meeting online using Zoom, please refer to our Zoom Meeting Instructions (PDF) in English and in Spanish.

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Time Schedules
Regular Council meetings are usually scheduled in two sessions, with a 1 1/2 hour recess between sessions. The first session is scheduled from 4 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. The City Council then reconvenes at 7 p.m., with scheduled adjournment by 11 p.m.

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General Procedures

• Members of the public may speak on any item under public discussion by the City Council after receiving recognition by the Mayor.
• Members of the public also have an opportunity to speak during the Public Comments portions of the agenda for a maximum of three minutes on any topic not on the agenda.
• In all cases, the speaker must step to the microphone directly in front of the Council and, after receiving recognition from the Mayor, it is appreciated to state one's name and affiliation for the record.
• All remarks should be directed to the Council as a body rather than to any particular councilmember or any member of the staff or audience.
• Whenever a group wishes to address the Council on the same subject, the Mayor will request that a spokesperson be chosen by the group.
• Applauding and other displays of approval or disapproval are inappropriate during City Council meetings.
• City Council Chamber seating chart

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Basic Terminology

• CONSENT ITEMS are routine items prepared and recommended by staff which the Council votes upon with one combined vote. A member of the public or a Councilmember who wishes to have a Consent Item heard individually may request that it be pulled from the Consent Items for a discussion and a separate vote. 
• ORDINANCES are legislative acts by the Council, are the most permanent and binding type of Council action, and may be repealed or amended only by subsequent ordinances. An ordinance requires two readings at separate Council meetings, is "passed to print" (for legal advertisement) when introduced, and is "passed and adopted" when given final approval.
• RESOLUTIONS are passed to express the policy of the Council on certain items or programs, or are passed to direct certain types of administrative action. A resolution may be changed by adoption of a subsequent resolution. Resolutions require one reading and are approved when adopted.
• PUBLIC COMMENTS are accepted on any agendized item on any Council agenda, as well as on non-agendized subjects during regular Council meetings. Any member of the public may speak for a maximum of three minutes.

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Guidelines for Public Taping of Meetings
Video recording equipment/crew location:

• Video cameras/tripods/crew should be in the seating pews, but they should remain at the end of the pews to minimize view obstructions. All public seating in the City Council Chamber is first come, first served. Staff will not reserve seating areas for public access producers.
• No tripods are permitted in any exit pathways (aisles), including entrances/exits.
• Videographers can gather footage using hand-held equipment from the main meeting room floor (front of the room among staff tables or by dais) for a limited period – generally 5 minutes each – and, in general, cannot disrupt the presentation or the proceedings while doing so.
• Videographers may operate tripods in the area directly to the left (when facing the dais) of staff tables between doorways, but must not run cords across exit pathways.
• No video recording is permitted behind the dais without the expressed consent of the meeting chair. A standing condition of said consent is that the taping of notes or materials on the desk is prohibited.
• If deemed necessary, City staff can limit the number of cameras in the meeting room and/or require a camera pool.
• Upon advance request, an audio feed of the proceeding can generally be made available (24-hour notice may be required).
• All audio/electrical cords must be securely taped or covered with a mat, subject to the approval of City staff. Cords must run perpendicular to the aisle and not cross a doorway.

Interviews or background footage taken as an adjunct to the public meeting:

• Potential interviewees, be they Councilmembers, Commissioners, staff or public, are not obligated to participate in an interview. Common courtesies should be extended, and interviews should not be conducted in a belligerent manner.