No More Cell Phones on City Council Dais? Council to Review its Rules

Members of the Newport City Council might self-impose new rules that prohibit the use of cell phones for texting back and forth during meetings, among other changes.

The discussion sparked at last week’s City Council meeting during which council members approved its boilerplate governance rules to start the new two-year term.

Councilor Justin McLaughlin said that he would like to convene a future workshop to discuss additional changes that he’d like to see be incorporated into the rules, mainly about streamlining communication and transparency.

McLaughlin suggested letting the public comment at the end of council meetings, which is when residents might have thought of something to say after the council deliberates on a given topic. Currently, the public speaking portion of the meeting is held before any council votes or discussion.

He also suggested that the closure of council dockets could occur later in the week to give more working days for city staff to address issues raised at City Council meetings.

McLaughlin noted that that night’s meeting, on Wednesday, was less than a week away from the closure of the docket for the next meeting, followed by six days before the council actually meets again.

Moving the closure to Thursday instead of Tuesday, for example, would fix an “imbalance” in the scheduling, he said, and would give staff more time. The process would still abide by state laws in terms of notification and posting requirements, McLaughlin said.

He also suggested adding a provision that requires the City Clerk to complete meeting minutes within four weeks of the meeting in question.

“There have been times where meeting minutes have been months behind,” he said.

Mayor Jeanne-Marie Napolitano said she would support a rule barring cell phones on the Council Dais.

“From my own experience, we’re supposed to be transparent and open,” she said, noting that council members shouldn’t be texting each other while a discussion is taking place.

Not only would those texts be a matter of public record -- which could be embarrassing if they ever were requested and council members were making statements they’d rather not be public -- but also council members should be having those conversations in public, Napolitano said.

“I know myself I’ve received texts as a councillor,” Napolitano said.

Acting City Manager Joseph Nicholson said he would schedule a meeting for the council to outline what rule changes they’d like to see come up for a future vote.