Constitutional Crisis Averted: Rockville Has Rules

Correcting what appears to be a quarter-century of profligacy, the Mayor and Council have formally approved a set of rules under which to operate, according to our friend Warren Parish at the Gazette.

The City charter requires each Mayor and Council to "pass rules and by-laws for its own government while in session" -- an act that, according to City attorney Paul Glasgow, has not happened until last Monday's meeting.

The rules govern such mundane matters as how many votes are required for passage of motions -- in this case, it is a majority of the Mayor and Council (three votes) and not simply more "ayes" than "noes."

If a situation is not explicitly covered in Rockville's Rules, then Robert's Rules of Order will govern.

This issue came to a head after a motion by council member Piotr Gajewski failed passage on 2-0 vote with two abstentions and one absence. He looked into whether the vote had been interpreted correctly and discovered the quarter-century omission.