Who Decides Which Items Get Discussed at Council Meetings?
- 5 days ago
- 7 min read
Council meetings happen almost every month. Here, Council makes decisions about the sale of land, rates and taxes, community projects and procurement, among others. These meetings aren't randomly thrown together: an agenda is set and sent out at least 72 hours before.
Key Takeaways:
The CEO compiles the agenda, the Chairperson (Mayor) may refuse some items and the Councillors can request certain items to be included.
Mandatory points for the agenda: Notices of meetings & business, motions, Management Committee updates, reports of other committees
Councillors may add: motions, questions about Council or other committee business, petitions
Ordinary residents can request deputations, which the Chairperson must consider.
How does a Council Agenda Come to Be?
The agenda doesn't assemble itself: it's built through a sequence of legal steps, administrative requirements and - sometimes - political choices. While some steps are mandatory, others leave room for discretion.
The process is laid out in two legal documents:
The Local Authorities Act, 1992 (Act 23 of 1992) and
The Standing Rules of Order (GG 5705, 2 April 2015)
This framework determines who may introduce agenda items, how notice must be given, what order is followed and how to go about decisions. This article will walk you through the "lifecycle" of a Council agenda.
When is the Agenda Finalised?
The Municipality's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) has to send out an agenda at least 72 hours before a meeting, along with a notice of the date, time and place.
Often, the date, time and place are determined long beforehand. It must be mentioned that the 72 hours do not distinguish between working hours or otherwise, and therefore include the weekend.
The CEO compiles and shares the agenda at least three days before.
What Does a Council Agenda Look Like?
Every Ordinary Council Meeting follows the same order of business:
Opening by prayer (if desired)
Adoption of agenda
Leave of absence by members
Confirmation of previous minutes
Interviews with deputations or summoned persons *
Official announcements
Petitions *
Motions *
Answers to questions *
Management Committee report
Management Committee recommendations
Reports by the CEO or other committees
Draft regulations and tariffs, if any
However, the very first meeting of a newly elected Council only has three required agenda items: the opening, election of office bearers, and election of Management Committee. No debate is allowed during such a meeting.
*These are items where ordinary residents - through their Councillors - can participate in the local authority affairs.
Can the Agenda be Changed?
Yes, with limitations. During the "Adoption of Agenda", items can be amended, deferred, delayed or removed. Examples are:
Adoption with Postponements (27 August 2025):Â The Council unanimously resolved to adopt the agenda with the specific agreement that Item 15.1Â be moved for discussion to a separate Special Council Meeting rather than being handled during that session.
Adoption with Declarations of Interest (4 March 2025):Â During the adoption of the agenda, the Chairperson (Mayor Trevino Forbes) declared an interest in Item 11.4Â (which related to a trip to Ethiopia) and stated he would excuse himself from the meeting for that discussion, after which the agenda was adopted.
How do Councillors Add Items to the Agenda?
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty: the Council of a local authority (city, town or village) functions like the board of a big company. They have the ultimate decision authority - unless the Minister overrides them.
The CEO (in charge of the municipality) reports directly to the Council.
Decisions generally have to be a majority vote, so it's important that the Council works together. However, there are several ways individual Councillors can influence Council business:
Petitions
Motions
Questions
These all serve different purposes and have different requirements for being considered. We'll discuss them from the most to least utilised.
What is a "Motion" and How Do You Submit One?
Motions have to be submitted by a member, i.e. a Councillor. Any Councillor may introduce a motion, as long as it relates to the administration or conditions in the local authority area. No Councillor may have more than four new motions per meeting.
Motions need to be submitted to the CEO, in writing, at least six days before the meeting. They must be signed and contain a proper motivation.
The CEO has to place them on the agenda in the order they were received, and keep a numbered record of all motions ever submitted.
What Happens to Motions?
If a motion is unopposed:
No debate is allowed and the motion is either passed, or - if it affects the budget or a rule of law - referred to Management Committee first.
If a motion is opposed:
The opposer must have given written notice to the CEO before the meeting. During the meeting, someone must second (pronounced SEC-und), i.e. support, the motion. Then, it is open for debate. To pass, it needs a majority vote.
What Kind of Questions Can a Councillor Submit?
Under Rule 20, Councillors can submit any question relating to, or arising from, Council business. These questions should be clear and to the point (that's not required, that's just efficient - although unclear questions may be refused).
Such questions have to be submitted signed and in writing to the CEO - but only up to 48 hours before a meeting. The CEO must share the question with the Councillors as soon as possible, and the Chairperson/Mayor should answer the question in writing at least 2 hours before the meeting starts. Then, every Councillor needs to get a copy of that answer.
If there is a question of "urgent public interest", it can be handed to the CEO as close to 10 minutes before the meeting, as long as it's signed by submitting member and the chairperson of the "committee or council from which the business originates". Such a question is only answered verbally, unless requested otherwise. In that case, the answer is included in the minutes.
If a question has been answered in accordance with this procedure (laid out in Rule 20), it may be discussed during the meeting.
There are some caveats and exceptions to this, presumably because the timeline is separate from the rest of the agenda and kind of hectic.
The Chairperson/Mayor can move a question to the following Council Meeting if
There wasn't enough notice given or the question is not urgent,
They deem it in the interest of "good order".
They can also reject a question if it is out of order, unclear or in violation of Rule 20.
As can be seen from the extract above, the actual questions and answers are not included in the minutes. However, the Councillors have a copy and should be able to share them with the public. Alternatively, can they request that they be included verbatim in the minutes?
What Does the Management Committee Do?
The Management Committee - made up of a number of Councillors - acts as a central procedural filter. It has direct power over what goes through to Council, by
Exercising delegated powers (such as hiring and entering contracts in some circumstances),
Monitoring implementation of policies and motions,
Reporting to Council on referred matters.
What Kinds of Things Does Management Committee Influence?
The MC approves of the municipal budget before it goes to Council, for example. It has to review any motion that affects expenditure or regulations. Petitions are also first considered by the MC, which then gives recommendations to Council.
Realistically, the MC greatly shapes the decisions of Council because it filters input (motions, budgets, policies, etc.) and monitors output (passed motions, implementation and so forth).
How Can Normal Residents Influence Council Decisions?
Residents cannot directly place items on the Council Agenda. However, they do have some ways to participate in the local affairs: deputations, petitions and working through their Councillor.
What is a Deputation in Namibia?
A deputation is a group of up to five people that request to appear before Council, or one of the committees. As per Rule 10, a written memorandum detailing the "representations they wish to make" must be submitted to the CEO. The chairperson of Council or the committee then decides whether they will be heard, and whether the Council or committee actually has the powers to deal with them.
If the chairperson decides not to hear them, they may (may! - not must, it is therefore a voluntary option) refer the matter to the Management Committee, who make their own decision.
If they are heard, only one member of the deputation may speak, unless the group is asked a direct question. The Council or committee can either deal with the matter after the deputation has left or give them their opinion right away.
How Do You Submit a Petition to Council?
While any resident or group of residents can write up a petition, it has to be properly motivated, and submitted by a Councillor directly to the CEO (normal notice period applies).
So placed on the agenda, the petition may not be read out. No speech or comments may be heard about it, either. Instead, it is directly referred to the next meeting of the MC, who has to report back on it at the following Council Meeting.
So Who Actually Decides What is Discussed in Council?
The law prescribes the order of business; the sequence in which the required items must be discussed. The CEO compiles the agenda and sends out the notice of the meeting.
The Councillors have some say, because they can submit motions, petitions and questions. The Management Committee doesn't set the agenda directly but has a lot of sway over what gets done - they vet and screen the bulk of issues before Council deals with them, and their recommendations hold a lot of weight.
Ordinary residents can only request a deputation to be heard, engage their Councillor to submit items and attend Council Meetings to stay up to date.
Do you care about Council Meetings?
Yes - and I'll leave a comment below as to why.
No, I don't see the point.
Council Agenda FAQ
Can residents force Council to discuss an issue?
Not directly. They have to act through deputations or convince a Councillor to submit a motion, petition or question.
Can a chairperson refuse to hear a matter?
Only in the case of deputations. Although they can also suspend the rules of order to keep order, and defer items if necessary.
Can petitions and motions be ignored?
If they are submitted properly and on time, they have to be included on the agenda and become public record. If an opposed motion isn't seconded, or a petition / motion gets "lost" in the wheels of the administration, Councillors have the power to question this and request reports by the responsible people.
Why do so many items pass through Management Committee first?
The Local Authority Act and Standing Rules of Order require reporting and recommendation structures, presumably in the name of accountability, transparency and informed decision-making.
