Your first council meeting

1 When and where

The City's council page (garfieldhts.org/157, read October 31, 2026) lists regular Council meetings on the second and fourth Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m., with a caucus at 6:30 p.m., in the Council Chambers at the Civic Center, 5407 Turney Road. The same page says meetings can be watched on the City's YouTube channel.

Check the City's page on the day. Holidays, special meetings and changes are announced there, not here.

2 Before the meeting

1. Read the agenda. The City's page says agendas are posted the Friday before each meeting, on its website and at public places around the city. Find the item you care about and note its number and title.
2. Decide on one ask. What do you want Council to do, or to know? One clear request is easier to hear than five.
3. Write it down. Use the remarks builder: who you are, what you ask, why, and what you want done.
4. Time it. Read it aloud with the practice clock. Aim to finish with time to spare.
5. Print a copy or two. One to read from, one you can offer to leave for the record if the rules allow.

3 The rules for speaking

Ohio's Open Meetings Act (Ohio Revised Code section 121.22) says meetings of public bodies are open to the public. When residents may speak, and how, is set by the council itself: whether there is a public comment period, whether you sign in first, how long each speaker has, and which topics are allowed.

Floorcard does not publish those rules, because only the Council can say what they are today. To find out:

• read the posted agenda, which often shows when public comment happens;
• ask the Clerk of Council before the meeting (contact details are on the City's website);
• listen to the presiding officer at the start of the meeting, who usually explains the time allowed.

4 At the microphone

• Address the presiding officer, not the audience or one member.
• Give your name, and your street or ward if the rules ask for it.
• Say your ask first, then your reasons, then thank them.
• Watch your time. If the limit comes, finish your sentence and stop. Your written copy can say the rest.
• Do not expect a back-and-forth. Public comment is usually a time for Council to listen; answers, if any, may come later.
• Stay on the issue, not on people. It keeps the room listening.

5 After the meeting

The City's page says minutes are available after they are approved, which is usually at a later meeting. Note what happened while it is fresh: in a Floorcard notebook you can log the date, what you did, and where the matter stands as you understood it.

6 Words you will hear

Caucus

A session before the regular meeting where Council reviews the agenda.

Ordinance

A local law. A resolution is usually a formal statement or a decision on a single matter.

First, second, third reading

Many councils read a proposed ordinance at more than one meeting before the final vote. The City's charter and Council's rules decide when.

Emergency

Some legislation can be passed as an emergency measure so it takes effect sooner; the charter sets when that is allowed.

Committee

A smaller group of members who look at a matter in more detail before it comes back to the full Council.

Tabled

Set aside for now.

Minutes

The written record of a meeting, approved at a later meeting.

Quorum

The number of members who must be present for Council to act.

7 Sources

• City of Garfield Heights, "City Council": garfieldhts.org/157 (meeting days, time, place, caucus, agenda posting; read October 31, 2026).
• Ohio Revised Code 121.22, Public meetings: codes.ohio.gov.
• Ohio Attorney General, Sunshine Laws Manual: ohioattorneygeneral.gov.

Floorcard is not a lawyer and not the City. This guide explains in general terms; it is not legal advice.