City Council Handbook

General Information about the Council

The purpose of the City Council is to establish local laws, set policy, reject or approve programs, allocate funds, and provide direction through the City Manager to City staff.  The City Council is composed of four Council Members and the Mayor, all of whom are directly elected by the people. The Mayor and Vice-Mayor are selected annually by the Council and the Council Members serve four-year staggered terms. Although not granted special decision-making powers, the Mayor does represent the City in all ceremonial and official affairs.

As Capitola is a General Law City, its Council must act within the framework of limitations and procedures established by State Law. Local laws are established by ordinance and are compiled in the Municipal Code. These laws are enforceable by the City, and violations thereof constitute an infraction. Other directives and policies of the City Council are recorded in Council resolutions, Council minutes, and Administrative Policies.

Municipal elections: The City's municipal elections are consolidated with other state and local elections on the first Tuesday of November in each even-numbered year, with three council seats and two council seats alternatingly up for election.

Term limits: The people of Capitola voted in November 2002 to adopt an ordinance limiting the terms of elected officials to two (2) consecutive terms. Members must wait two years before running again.

Regular Council Meetings: The City Council meets regularly, generally twice monthly on the second and fourth Thursdays with one meeting in July, August, and December. Additional budget workshops are scheduled in the spring. 

Types of Council Actions

Ordinances: Ordinances are the laws of a municipality and, once effective, become part of the municipal code.  City councils are given the power to adopt ordinances by Government Code Section 37100 as long as those ordinances are not in conflict with the laws and the Constitution of the State of California or the United States. An ordinance is the most binding form of action taken by the City Council.

Resolutions: A resolution is a written action or decision.  Resolutions are generally introduced and adopted at the same meeting and becomes effective immediately. Resolutions are often used when findings need to be made or when another agency wishes to have a record provided of an action. Fee schedules, annual budgets, adoption of multi-agency agreements, or actions required by state or federal agencies are often handled by resolution.

Minute Orders and Direction to Staff: Many actions can be taken simply as minute orders through a motion and vote recorded in a meeting’s minutes. These can include approval of contracts, direction to staff regarding projects, appointments, and much more.

Administrative Policies and Procedures: The City also establishes administrative policies that guide how staff and Councilmembers handle many duties and programs. These range from requests for a proclamation and the memorial plaque program to investment of City funds and reservation of City facilities. Some of these policies require City Council approval while others are signed off at the staff level. Members of the public may view all of the City's Administrative Policies through our WebLink Public Portal. If a member of the public is seeking to view only Council-approved policies, they may find them at the City's WebLink Public Portal and click on the search option labeled "City Council Approved Admin Policies."

Appointments and Board Service

The City Council makes appointments to both its own advisory bodies and to those of partner agencies and jurisdictions. In some cases, Councilmembers themselves serve as appointees.

The City has 5 advisory bodies: 

• Art and Cultural Commission
• Commission on the Environment
• Finance Advisory Committee
• Historical Museum Board
• Planning Commission

A number of these bodies have at least one Councilmember appointed to represent the Council and serve with other community members. Appointment of community members to advisory groups may be by the full Council or individual Councilmembers depending on the guidelines set forth in either the Municipal Code or the founding resolution. Recruitment for community participants is handled by the city clerk as outlined in the Maddy Act (Government Code 54970). Appointments are made by the City Council at a regular meeting. For more information about these groups, please visit the City's Boards and Commissions webpage.

Councilmembers also serve on the boards of certain agencies and County advisory bodies. Some of these bodies require an elected official to sit on the board while others simply wish to have the City represented. In the latter case, Councilmembers may choose to serve or ask the city clerk to recruit from the community or City staff.

General Procedures and Rules of Order

Parliamentary Procedure: In 2007, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 3611 designating Rosenberg’s Rules of Order: Simple Parliamentary Procedures for the 21st Century as the City’s rules of order.

Conduct of Meeting: The Mayor, or in his or her absence, the Vice Mayor, shall act as the chair of City Council meetings and call meetings to order. The Mayor or Vice Mayor is responsible for maintaining decorum, calling the vote, announcing decisions of the Council, and other responsibilities at all regular and special meetings of the Council. (2.04.170)

Reordering Agenda Items: The Mayor may reorder items on the agenda to accommodate the public or to address other concerns (2.04.190).

Meeting Decorum: Pursuant to Administrative Policy I-42, the City Council and Commissioners must all abide by standards of conduct, as outlined in the Code of Conduct. Members of the public shall address the Council and shall confine comments to the agenda or those that are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the City.

Applicable Municipal Code Sections

The City Council approves and revises the Capitola Municipal Code through the adoption of ordinances.