Form of Government

The City of Rohnert Park is a General Law City, and was incorporated in 1962. Rohnert Park has a Council-Manager form of government. City Council members are elected officials and the City Manager is appointed by the City Council. The term of a Council member's office is staggered, with three members elected during one election cycle and two at another. Elections are consolidated with the General Election in November of even-numbered years.

Duties of City Council Members

The City Council adopts goals and policies which describe services the City provides to its residents. The Council also approves and adopts the City's Financial Plans, General Plan and the Capital Improvement Plan. For the implementation of policies, the Council provides direction to the City Manager during Council meetings. In addition to appointing the City Manager, the Council is responsible for appointing the City Clerk, City Attorney and members of City Commissions and Boards. Council members also sit on liaison committees, advisory boards and regional boards.

City Council Meetings

Council meetings are held on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. Meetings officially begin at 6:00 p.m. Note: The Council may begin the meeting with a Closed Session; consequently, Open Sessions may begin at 7:00 - 7:30 p.m. Citizen participation in Council meetings is welcomed and highly encouraged.

How to Participate in a Council Meeting

For those citizens who may wish to address the Council on a matter, the meeting agenda regularly contains an Unscheduled Public Appearances period near the beginning of the Open Session for this purpose. Public participants in Unscheduled Public Appearances are required to fill out a speaker's card and are limited to 3-5 minutes of comments. The completed speaker's card is submitted to the Minutes Clerk prior to the period designated for Unscheduled Public Appearances.