2.015 City Council – Conduct at Meetings.
(1) The presiding officer of the council shall be responsible for insuring that order and decorum are maintained during all meetings of the council, and shall be responsible for assigning to the sergeant at arms the duties and station.
(2) A member or members of the Eugene Police Department, designated by the chief of police, shall act as sergeant at arms and shall be present as directed by the mayor or council at each council meeting. The sergeant at arms shall have the responsibility to maintain order, to enforce the rules of conduct, and to enforce orders given by the presiding officer.
(3) Any of the following shall be sufficient cause for the sergeant at arms to, at the direction of the presiding officer, remove any person from the council chambers, or meeting hall, for the duration of the meeting:
(a) The use of unreasonably loud or disruptive language.
(b) The making of loud or disruptive noise.
(c) The engaging in violent or distracting action.
(d) The willful injury of furnishings or of the interior of the council chambers or meeting hall.
(e) The refusal to obey any of the rules of conduct provided within this section, including the limitations on occupancy and seating capacity.
(f) The refusal to obey an order of the presiding officer or an order issued by any councilor which has been approved by a majority of the councilors present.
(4) Before the sergeant at arms is directed to remove any person from the meeting hall for conduct described in subsection (3) that person shall be given a warning by the presiding officer to cease the conduct.
(5) If a meeting is disrupted by members of the audience, the presiding officer or a majority of the councilors present may order that the council chambers or other meeting hall be cleared.
(6) Unreasonably loud or disruptive language, noise, or conduct is that which obstructs the work or the conducting of the business of the council.
(7) Time for testimony by members of the audience at public hearings of any council meeting at which the public is invited or allowed to address the council, may be limited or extended for each speaker and for each subject by the presiding officer or by majority vote of the council. All questions and discussion by members of the audience shall be directed to the presiding officer. Direct discussion between members of the audience and councilors or city employees is permitted only at the discretion of the presiding officer. Every person desiring to speak shall first address the presiding officer, and upon recognition, shall give his or her name and address and shall confine comments to the issue under consideration.
(8) The taking of photographs in the council chambers or other meeting hall shall be allowed except when done in violation of subsections (3), (4) and (5) of this section.
(9) The following constitute the seating capacity and requirements to be observed:
(a) The safe occupancy and seating capacity of the council chambers as determined by the fire marshal shall be posted within the council chambers. The limitations on occupancy and seating capacity so determined and posted shall be complied with at all times.
(b) Aisles shall be kept clear at all times. Members of the audience shall abide by the seating plan in the chambers, and shall not pass beyond the restraining barriers unless requested to do so by the presiding officer.
(c) Members of the press may sit in the area designated in the seating plan posted in the council chambers and must be able to present press identification to be allowed such seating.
(10) No flags, posters, placards, or signs, unless authorized by the presiding officer, may be carried or placed within the council chambers, any meeting hall in which the council is officially meeting, or any meeting hall in which a public hearing is being held. This restriction shall not apply to armbands, emblems, badges, or other articles worn on personal clothing of individuals, provided that such devices are of such a size and nature as not to interfere with the vision or hearing of other persons at the meeting, and providing that such devices do not extend from the body in a manner likely to cause injury to another.
(11) The provisions of this section shall not be construed or prevent news media representatives from performing their duties so long as the manner of performance is not unreasonably disruptive of the meeting.