COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
Monday, April 14, 2014
HEADED ITEM NO. 3c)
HEADED ITEM: C. Services Department
STANDING COMMITTEES - ORGANISATION, PROCEDURE & FINANCE COMMITTEE - 20th March 2014
c) Review of Standing Orders
At the Organisation, Procedure and Finance Committee Meeting held on 20th March 2014 the following report was considered:
"The following Report was presented to the last meeting of the Committee. There was broad agreement on all matters save for the starting time of the meetings. As it has not been possible to arrive at a consensus situation it is recommended that the changes proposed in the following Report be adopted and that the matter be reviewed by the incoming council in the Autumn 2014 period.
"The membership of the Council will increase to 40 members so in the interests of the efficiency and effectiveness of the meetings it will be necessary to make certain amendments to the Standing Orders of the Council. To assist in this process, comparisons were made with sister Councils who have memberships similar to that proposed. The recommendations being made were agreed by the Group Leaders and are proposed to come into effect from 1st June 2014. The specific changes to the Standing Orders are set out in appendix A below.
In summary the proposals are:
· Aggregate the business under the proposed directorates/functions
· Corporate Performance and Change Management
· Economic Development and the Metropolitan Interest
· Land Use, Planning and Transportation
· Environment, Water and Climate Change
· Housing, Social and Community Provision
· Extend the hours of the meetings by half an hour -
§ Council meeting - 3.30pm - 7.00pm
§ ACM - 3.00 to 6.00pm
§ OP&F - 3.30 to 6.00pm
· Operate 4 area committees as currently operated
· Numbers of items of business to be adjusted:-
· Area Committee Meetings
o 8 items of business, not more than 4 can be motions (no more than 1 motion per function) resulting in:-
§ Lucan - max 64 items including 32 motions.
§ Clondalkin - max 64 items including 32 motions
§ Tallaght Central/Tallaght South - max 96 items including 48 motions
§ Templeogue –Terenure/Rathfarnham - max 96 items including 48 motions
· Council Meeting
o 6 items of business, not more than 1 motion per meeting with the proviso that a second motion can be submitted once per quarter - generally resulting in max of 240 items including 40 motions.
APPENDIX A
Proposed amendments to the Standing Orders of the Council
The following amendments are proposed with effect from 1st June 2014:
- Standing orders ( in numerical order)
5.
Insert '/Templeogue - Terenure' after the word Rathfarnham
Delete 6.30p.m. and insert 7.00p.m.
Delete 5.30p.m. and insert 6.00p.m.The revised S.O. will now read:
The hour of meeting of the Council shall be 3.30 p.m. or at such other hour as may from time to time be fixed by resolution of the Council, (3.00 p.m. in respect of Rathfarnham / Templeogue - Terenure, Tallaght, Lucan and Clondalkin Area Committee Meetings). The Council shall rise not later than 7.00 p.m. (6.00 p.m. in respect of Area Committees and OP&F).
12.
Delete the word 'eight' and insert the word 'eleven'. The revised S.O. will now read:
The quorum for the meeting of the full Council is one-fourth of the total number of Members of the Council plus one or, where one-fourth of such number is not a whole number, the quorum is the next highest whole number plus one. Accordingly the quorum for SDCC is eleven.
13 (l) (4).
Delete existing sub section and insert the following:.
Councillors will be entitled to have one motion listed for each monthly meeting of the council and a second motion once in every quarter. All Councillors will have their first motion listed before any Councillor has a second motion listed.
15 (5)
Delete '13' and insert '20'. The revised S.O. will now read:
Notwithstanding any other provisions of these Standing Orders a motion may be proposed without notice for the purpose of dealing with urgent or emergency business related to a function of the local authority, subject to the requirement that not less than 20 members (being at one-half of the total number of members of the authority) first vote in favour that it shall be put to the Council.
52.
Insert after the word 'Council' in the first line ', any Group Leader qualified under the provisions of the Local Government Reform Act 2014'. The revised S.O. will now read:
The Mayor/ An Méara of the Council, any Group Leader qualified under the provisions of the Local Government Reform Act 2014 and the Cathaoirligh of the Strategic Policy Committees shall form the Corporate Policy group, …..
53.
Insert '/Templeogue - Terenure' after the word Rathfarnham at point 3. The revised S.O. will now read:
The South Dublin County Council Area shall be divided into four Area Committees as follows:
1. Clondalkin Area Committee
2. Lucan Area Committee
3. Rathfarnham / Templeogue - Terenure Area Committee
4. Tallaght Area Committee
Schedule A
Delete existing sub section and insert the following:
Questions and Motions - Numbers allowed
Area Committee Meetings
o Eight (8) items of business not more than four (4) can be motions (no more than 1 motion per function)
Council Meeting
o Six (6) items of business, not more than one (1) motion" End of Report to OPF.
The report was NOTED and it was AGREED, on the proposal of Councillor D. Looney, seconded by Councillor C. King, to recommend that the Council adopt the changes proposed in the foregoing report and that the matter be reviewed by the incoming council in the Autumn 2014 period.