Mellori/Sandbox

The Council Regulations

1. Council Meetings are run by the host, who is responsible for selecting the location and organising the schedule for the meeting. A new host is elected each meeting. [Referenced 2014-04-14]
2. The scribe for each meeting will post a pre-meeting agenda topic for the following meeting to the forums which would decide planned discussions, non-member Queries and any other business for the meeting. The forum post should include a link to notes from the previous meeting. [Created 2014-12-13] [Amended 2017-10-21]
3. The Council may only have a maximum of 20 members at any given time. [Created 2014-12-27]
4. More than one election can take place in a meeting, with each Candidate being voted on separately. [Confirmed 2015-11-07] [Amended 2019-11-02]
5. Candidates for membership election must have a majority of "Ayes" to be voted in, with a minimum of 5 total votes cast. Successful candidates are allocated vacant seats in order of most "Aye" votes. [Updated 2015-11-07] [Amended 2017-10-21] [Amended 2019-11-02]
6. Only current members of The Council may vote on topics unless otherwise allowed by the council. Any zedling not currently being nominated may vote in elections. Zedlings can vote aye, nay or abstain. [Confirmed 2015-11-07] [Amended 2019-11-02]
7. All Zedlings may attend council meetings but are asked not to speak unless allowed by The Council. [Confirmed 2015-11-07]
8. Attendees are encouraged not to wear armour during meetings, with the exception of boots and chainmail. This rule is not enforced, only encouraged. [Created 2014-12-13]
9. Any resignations of a council member from The Council will not come into effect until the meeting after the meeting it was announced in. If a resignation is given on the forum or otherwise between meetings, the council must hear of it in a meeting for it to be officially recognised and then will only take effect at the following meeting's end. [Created 2015-07-18]
10. Absence will be marked if a member fails to turn up before the end of a meeting, there is no cut-off point during a meeting. [Created 2015-08-29]
11. If a council member does not attend a council meeting, without prior notice and apology, they will receive an attendance ‘strike’. If a council member has a total of three strikes in a row at the beginning of a meeting, they are considered in-active. This means they will be removed the meeting after their third strike. [Created 2014-12-27] [Referenced 2015-01-10] [Amended 2016-05-21][Amended again 2016-05-21]
12. Co-mayors may be appointed between council meetings if the mayor creates a new forum topic announcing who they would like to appoint and why. The announcement must also then be made at the next council meeting, council members are allowed to veto with an explanation. [Created 2015-11-21]
13. When a mayor position becomes vacant in a warp town, a forum post is made allowing people to express their interest in running for the position. Council will endorse candidates from this list, and then a forum poll will be created to determine the winner, unless only 1 candidate is in the running, in which there is no need. In the interim, a caretaker will be appointed to maintain the warp and field player queries. FULL process available on Warp Mayor Page [Created 2015-12-20] [Amended 2017-07-29] [Amended 2018-09-22] [Amended 2019-03-09]
14. If a council is concerned a Warp Town mayor has become inactive, they can use !lastseen during a meeting. If a mayor is found to not have been on the server in the two weeks prior, this is noted. In the following meeting the check is made again - if the player has still not been on the server, the mayor is declared inactive and removed. Any co-mayors are also removed regardless of activity. Elections for a new mayor should then be instigated, with a caretaker appointed to maintain the warp and field player queries in the interim. [Created 2015-12-20] [Amended 2017-11-18] [Amended 2018-09-22]
15. If attendance is not recorded for a meeting, any absence from that meeting is excused, and no attendance strikes will be added. [Created 2016-01-02]
16. If no Pre-Meeting Agenda thread exists, Council Members should post topic ideas, discuss upcoming meetings, or apologise in advance for an absence in the Zedling Council thread. [Created 2016-01-02]
17. All votes to elect a new council member are to be done via private message to the host of the meeting, this aims to prevent peer pressure and create an honest vote. [Created 2016-07-30] [Amended 2017-10-21] [Amended 2019-11-02]
18. Banned players are to be immediately removed from the council members list upon ban. If the player was banned, but later the ban was to be found illegitimate, the player will be welcomed back by the Guardians and their council spot will be reinstated.
19. Any Zedling present wishing to join the council can request a vote via the host. [Amended 2019-11-02]
20. In the event of a tie-break situation, relating to elections, the host shall decide the method of the tiebreaker. [Amended 2017-10-21] [Amended 2019-11-02]
21. An apology must be stated clearly on the forum 'pre-meeting agenda' thread, specific to the meeting you wish to apologise for. If no pre-meeting agenda exists, apologies can be posted in the "Zedling council" thread found here. [Created 2017-01-14] [Amended 2018-05-19]
22. Council Members retain their current strikes, even after apologising. The only way to remove strikes is to attend meetings. [Created 2017-01-14]
23. Council Members are allowed to make an advanced apology, for up to three meetings in a row, if they know they will be inactive. This is referred to as a ‘bulk apology’. [Created 2017-01-14]
24. If the council member requires more time after the ‘bulk apology’ period has ended; they must apologise before each subsequent meeting they miss. [Created 2017-01-14]
25. Only players with one strike or less are able to make a ‘bulk apology’. [Created 2017-01-14]
26. The council is able to remove a member (if a majority vote is passed) if that member has not attended 6 consecutive meetings, regardless of apologies. [Created 2017-01-14]
27. The Council may initiate a "vote" to come to a solid decision on a topic. [Created 2017-02-25]
28. The Council may take a "poll" to get an opinion on a topic. This is distinct from a "vote" as the outcome is not a concrete decision, but just providing an opinion. Results from polls should be given in a number of YES votes and the number of NO votes, eg. 3-4. Polls can be between a range of options, not just yes/no answers. [Created 2017-02-25]
29. [Rescinded 2019-11-02] [Created 2017-10-21]
30. Meetings have a maximum of 90 minutes for topic discussion; 30 minutes for any one topic. Topics posted in the pre-meeting agenda take priority, with any non-posted topics being addressed if there is time remaining in the meeting. After the 90 minutes has elapsed the meeting moves to announcements and end-of-meeting business. [Created 2017-12-30]
31. If a proposal requires a voting decision the council will resolve the wording of the proposal with the scribe to post in the pre-agenda for the next meeting when it will be voted on. Any member may vote on the pre-agenda. [Created 2019-11-02]
32. If there are any changes to the proposal during the following meeting, and an absent council member has submitted their vote on the pre-agenda, all prior votes are void and the council will resolve the wording of the proposal with the scribe to post in the pre-agenda for the next meeting when it will be voted on. [Created 2019-11-02]
33. Any member hosting a meeting can choose a co-host, to assist them in the running of the meeting. New members are encouraged to select a co-host to offer guidance during their first meeting. If a new member states a preference for a co-host, the Host of the meeting should gain a volunteer from members present [Created 2019-11-30]