URGENT: ATTEMPT TO BREAK 90-APARTMENT LIMIT FAILS AFTER PROCEDURAL STANDOFF AMONG COUNCIL MEMBERS, ATTORNEYS

Developer made pitch to amend previous 90-limit amendment

Kreller made motion to raise limit to 170 apartments

Zuckerman called point of order citing Robert’s Rules of Order

Amendments can’t nullify, modify previous amendments from previous meeting

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MANDEVILLE — The City Council’s special meeting on Sucette Harbor tonight (August 15th) degenerated into near chaos during a parliamentary standoff, triggering two separate recesses during which assistant city attorney David Parnel Jr., council members, as well as local attorneys in attendance all huddled and debated competing interpretations of Robert’s Rules of Order. The end result was the 90-unit limit remained in place.

After an opening pitch from developer Bill Hoffman, asking that the council consider increasing the number of apartments from the previously amended 90-unit limit to an earlier 178-unit limit, District II Councilman Skelly Kreller made a motion to comply with the request.

Councilman at Large Jason Zuckerman immediately called for a “point of order” under Robert’s Rules of Order, alleging that such an amendment is out of order because it would have a nullification effect on a previous amendment.

This triggered the first of two recesses where Parnell Jr., Council Clerk Kristine Scherer, acting Council Chairman Councilman at Large Rick Danielson and other officials huddled for about 20 minutes before returning the meeting to order under a ruling that a “motion to reconsider” would could move forward.

As the meeting proceeded, the procedural dust-up continued while council members debated the motion to reconsider the previous amendment which was adopted July 12th. Finally, Zuckerman called a second point of order — really more of a point of information — asking for Parnell Jr. to read from Robert’s Rules of Order exactly where he pulled his first interpretation which said that the matter could be revisited.

This essentially caused a parliamentary impasse, leading to a second recess of roughly 25 minutes while the same officials huddled, looked up information on their computers and smart phones. This time round, a few local attorneys who happened to be in attendance joined the fray.

Finally Danielson returned with a ruling that Kreller’s motion to reconsider was not in order and could not move forward, essentially killing the issue. The 90-unit apartment limit, established by an amendment offered by Zuckerman at the July 12th meeting and adopted by the council, will remain in place.

This is a developing story.

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