“Coming Around Again”: Coolidge City Council Special Meeting on its “Christian-only” invocations policy

By Craig McDermott, crossposted from Random Musings

When I first wrote about the mess in Coolidge, where the city council there had approved a policy of allowing just Christian-only invocations before its meetings, I noted that a special meeting of the council had already been called for Monday, September 21 (tomorrow, as of this writing), but that the agenda for that meeting hadn’t yet been posted on the city’s website.

It has since been posted.

Event:  Coolidge City Council Special Meeting

Where: Council Chambers, 911 S. Arizona Boulevard, Coolidge, Arizona

When: 9/21/2015, 6 p.m.

In bigger print, from the city’s website –

City Council

Special Meeting

9/21/2015 6:00 PM

Council Chambers

911 S. Arizona Boulevard   Pinal County   Coolidge, AZ 85128

 

Downloads:

Agenda Outline Agenda Packet

	Call to Order
	1.	Pledge of Allegiance
	2.	Roll Call
	Executive Session
	3.	A(3); for Discussion and Consultation with City Attorney Fitzgibbons and Designated Representatives of the City to Consider Its Position Regarding the City’s Written Policy Regarding Opening Invocations Before Meeting of the Coolidge City Council and for Legal Advice Regarding the Same.
			Discussion Item Printout
	Return to Regular Session
	Business – Regular Items
	4.	15-31; a Resolution of the Mayor and City Council of the City of Coolidge, Arizona, Adopting a Written Policy Regarding Opening Invocation Before Meetings of the Coolidge City Council.
			Resolution Printout
		a.	RES 15-31 Invocation Policy 091715 v2.rtf
	5.	15-32; a Resolution of the Mayor and City Council of the City of Coolidge, Arizona, Adopting a Written Policy Regarding Opening Invocation Before Meetings of the Coolidge City Council.
			Resolution Printout
		a.	RES 15-32 Invocation Policy 091715.rtf
	Adjournment
		City Clerk Sign-Off

Resolution 15-31 is the “Christian-only” invocations resolution; 15-32 is invocations resolution without the “Christian-only” language.

Best guesses (“guesses” because I have absolutely no contacts in Coolidge):

1.  There is a lot of arm-twisting going on in Coolidge this weekend, as the people on both sides of this issue seek to buttress support for the measure/persuade one or more of the Council supporters to change their vote(s).

2.  The issue will be decided during the executive session at the start of the meeting.  The votes themselves will be public, but the council members will know beforehand how those votes will turn out.

3.  If guess #2 is correct, this could be a very short meeting.  If guess #2 is incorrect, attendees should bring their sleeping bags and pillows because this one could go into extra innings.