Guide to Public Meetings

The Basics

  • All meetings are open to the public with the exception of closed session meetings.
  • Town Council meetings are on the first Wednesday of every month at 6:30 p.m., and in addition to their regular meeting, the Council will occasionally hold a special meeting or study session.
  • Agendas for regular meetings and meeting materials are posted 72 hours in advance of the meeting. Agendas for Special Meetings may be posted no less than 24 hours in advance.
  • Public Hearing Notices are posted 10 days in advance.
  • You can subscribe to receive public meeting agendas.
  • All public meetings are subject to the Brown Act.
  • Town Council and Planning Commission meetings are televised on Channel 27 and available online.

Meeting decorum and civility

To conduct the business of the community in an effective and efficient manner, please follow these meeting guidelines.  The Town does not tolerate disruptive conduct, which includes but is not limited to:

  • Speaking without first being recognized by the Mayor or Chair;
  • Interrupting any person who is speaking;
  • Continuing to speak after the allotted time has expired;
  • Failing to relinquish the microphone when directed to do so;
  • Repetitiously addressing the same subject.

Disruption of the meeting may result in a violation of the Town of Fairfax Municipal Code Section § 2.08.070, which makes it unlawful for any person to:

  • Use profane, vulgar, loud or boisterous language at any meeting;
  • Interrupt meeting proceedings; or
  • Refuse to be seated or keep quiet when ordered to do so by the Mayor.

These violations may result in a misdemeanor, which is enforceable by the police to escort such a person off the premises or be placed under arrest.

Ways to make a meeting successful

  1. Help us create and maintain a respectful and inclusive environment. Please do not applaud or “boo” other speakers. Personal attacks will not be tolerated. Be civil and courteous.
  2. If you are speaking, address the Town Council, or other Board or Commission, rather than staff or the audience.
  3. Remember, your time allotment for speaking is 2 minutes – it can be helpful to practice your comments ahead of time.
  4. You are welcome to email materials for the Town Council to consider in advance of the meeting. Email them to the Fairfax Town Council.

What to Expect

  • Smile—you’re on camera! Town Council and Planning Commission meetings are broadcast, live streamed, and made available online.
  • The Town Council sits at the dais with staff below, including the elected Town Clerk.
  • Members of the public are invited to sit in the audience.

Public meetings are an opportunity for the Town Council, Boards, or Commissions to make decisions on business matters that impact the Town, from contracts to road improvement projects, or major land use decisions.

Types of agenda items and what they mean

Open Time

Open Time is an opportunity for members of the public to speak about topics not on the agenda. If you’d like to address the Council with a comment or concern you have, this is the perfect opportunity. The Brown Act doesn’t allow a back-and-forth discussion during public comment, so your question or concern may be referred to staff to answer or may become the topic of a future Council Agenda item.

Consent Calendar

The “Consent Calendar” is a list of regular orders of business that requires just one motion and a vote to approve them all. This typically includes things like:

  • Contracts
  • Street closures
  • Purchasing agreements
  • And other routine items

Members of the Town Council may pull items off the Consent Calendar if they wish to discuss them in more detail before a vote. Members of the public have an opportunity to comment on Consent Calendar items prior to the vote.

Public Hearing

A Public Hearing is a formality for certain proposed actions designed to allow the public to provide “testimony” on the issue. Their remarks are recorded for the public record. Public Hearings can be required by law, and other times the Town Council may use them to gather information that will help them make decisions.

Presentations

Presentations are normally used when the Town Council wishes to formally recognize a group or individual for their contribution or for a local agency to provide updates on work that impacts the Town.

Regular Agenda

Regular Agenda items are discussion items for the Town Council. Many types of items can fall into this category. These items either require the Town Council’s approval or can be informational reports on programs and projects.

Members of the public have an opportunity to comment on each agenda item when it is being discussed. Participants are encouraged to stay focused on the corresponding topic.

Town Manager, and Councilmember Reports

These are standing opportunities for the Town Manager and members of the Town Council to report out or provide brief updates on their work on other regional bodies and organizations.

Understanding the process of an Agenda Item

Each agenda item typically includes the following steps:

  1.  Staff makes a presentation (“staff report”) that explains the topic and recommended action by the Town Council. Depending on the nature of the topic, other groups may make presentations as well, such as project applicants or consultants.
  2.  The Town Council may ask questions of staff about the item.
  3.  The Mayor invites public comment: members of the public speak may speak at the podium for up to 3 minutes at the Mayor's discretion.
  4.  After public comment time concludes, the Town Council may ask staff to answer any questions asked during public comment.
  5.  The Town Council then deliberates and votes on the item.

Other types of public meetings

In addition to Town Council Meetings, the Town also convenes other types of public meetings, such as:

Study sessions

Study Sessions are scheduled for the Town Council to hear detailed information on a topic. The Council can ask questions and provide initial feedback to staff on a topic. The Town Council does not make decisions at study sessions.

Study Sessions are subject to the Brown Act and agendas are posted. Although staff usually make a presentation, they may or may not write staff reports. Study sessions can be scheduled as a special meeting, or as part of a regular meeting.

Community meetings, workshops, and town forums

The Town sometimes hosts forums on large projects or important topics to solicit input from the public throughout the course of a project or provide information on an issue that impacts our community. These examples may or may not be a formal Council Meeting.

Special meetings

All meetings other than regular monthly meetings are called Special Meetings. Special meeting agendas are made available to the public at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.

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