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2. Clerk Minn.Stat.§412.191,subd.1. In a Standard Plan statutory city,the clerk is an elected member of the council. As such,he or she has the same voting powers and other privileges,as do the other councilmembers. Like the mayor,the clerk in a Standard Plan city is able to make and second motions. In Plan A or Plan B statutory cities,the clerk is not a member of the council, and therefore,cannot vote or participate in council proceedings.Again,home rule charter cities may have different provisions in their charters. 3. City managers Minn.Stat.§412.651,subd.5. In a Plan B city,the city manager must attend all council meetings.He or she has the right to take part in the discussions,but not to vote.The council has the power to exclude the city manager from any meeting at which the manager's removal is considered. 4. Councilmembers with disqualifying interests See League research memo Sometimes,a councilmember may have a personal interest in a matter that the Official Conflict of Interest council must address,like licenses,zoning matters,special assessments or (140a.3)for more information. actual contracts.If it is determined that an individual councilmember has such an interest,the individual might be disqualified from participating in the decision. Minn.Stat.§471.88. Under some circumstances,state statutes require that the interested Lenz v.Coon Creek Watershed councilmember abstain from voting.Under other circumstances,the law is less Dist.,278 Minn.1,153 N.W.2d clear.However,a Minnesota Supreme Court decision suggests that an officer 209(1967). with a disqualifying interest should abstain from voting even when not expressly required to under the statutes. 5. Audience participation See Part 11-Meetings and Audience members are not normally able to take an active part in the council's hearings. discussion at a meeting. Only the council can make motions and vote at a council meeting.Audience members may not speak unless they have been recognized by the chair. Many city councils have scheduled a portion of their meeting for public comment.These are often referred to as"open forums."During this part of the meeting,the chair of the council will recognize members of the audience to speak briefly on topics that concern them. If a large number of audience members wish to speak, the meeting may not progress efficiently. Likewise,if one person spends a long time expressing his or her view,others may not get the opportunity to present their views.The following sections discuss ways to address some of these problems. 28 League of Minnesota Cities