City Hall 101

A policy begins with an issue or idea identified by the City Commission. The idea is presented at a series of public meetings. At each stage it is debated and refined by the Commission, neighbors, experts and other concerned stakeholders. Gainesville has a Policy Research Program to support this process. The Commission can request support from policy staff to study certain issues and propose a policy idea.

The Idea is Researched

A City Commissioner and/or the City Commission requests preliminary research on an idea, which is conducted by Policy Research staff.

The Research is Presented

Policy Research staff present findings to the General Policy Committee, which discusses the item and provides direction to staff.

A Working Group Convenes

If advanced, the lead charter officer for the item convenes a cross-departmental working group which creates a timeline and resource estimate for policy development.

The Working Group Analyzes

Relevant charter officer staff conduct their respective analyses of the policy and draft a full proposal for policy development.

The Proposal is Discussed

The General Policy Committee considers the final proposal by the charter offices and votes on whether to adopt the policy. If the item requires an ordinance, it goes through the ordinance passage process.

The Proposal Becomes Policy

If the proposal becomes policy, metrics are gathered for key performance indicators (KPIs).

The Idea is Proposed

At a City Commission or General Policy Committee meeting, an idea is proposed by a City Commissioner or City staff member.

The Idea is Discussed

The idea is discussed among members of the City Commission, and the Commission provides direction to City staff.

The Ordinance is Drafted

The idea is drafted into an ordinance by the City Attorney based on the direction given by the Commission.

The Ordinance Goes Through First Reading

The proposed ordinance is reviewed by the City Commission, and the Commission votes on whether to adopt the ordinance on first reading.

The Ordinance Goes Through Second Reading

The proposed ordinance is reviewed again by the City Commission, and the Commission votes on whether to adopt the ordinance on second reading.

The Ordinance Becomes Law

If passed, the proposed ordinance becomes law and is adopted under the City of Gainesville Municipal Code.

The process for resolutions is similar to ordinances. However, for non-binding resolutions a commissioner may draft a resolution themselves and place it on an agenda for adoption with no prior discussions. The process for a binding resolution is typically as follows.

The Resolution is Proposed

A resolution idea is brought up by a city commissioner.

 

The Resolution is Discussed

The potential resolution is placed on the City Commission meeting for discussion and from here, the City Commission provides direction.

The Resolution is Drafted

The resolution is drafted into resolution format after City Commission discussion and presented at a City Commission meeting.

The Resolution Becomes Adopted

The resolution is voted on and if approved, it gets adopted as city code.

• Local government resource desk: Municipal Ordinances. (2014, December 31). State of Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development. Retrieved December 1, 2022, from https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/dcra/LocalGovernmentResourceDesk/Ordinances/MunicipalOrdinances.aspx.
• Dixon, L. (2019, September 10). Civics 101: How an ordinance becomes official in Miami. The New Tropic. Retrieved December 1, 2022, from https://thenewtropic.com/civics-101-how-an-ordinance-becomes-official-in-miami/.
• Ellis, J. Last Modified Date: March 15, J. (2023, March 15). What is a non-binding resolution? Historical Index. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.historicalindex.org/what-is-a-non-binding-resolution.htm.

Learn more: Civics 101: A Podcast