By Stephanie Johns
Staff Writer

The Madison City Council voted to change the meaning of an abstention vote: instead of an abstention resulting in a ‘no’ vote, it now will not count as either a ‘no’ or a ‘yes’ vote.
City Attorney Joe Reitman previously explained they would have to advertise the changes, read it twice, and then vote on it.  During the January meeting, the council voted in favor of this change for the first time and then again in February.
Planning Director Monica Callahan noted that any time procedure is silent, committees follow the council, so this change applies to committees too.

Printed in the February 14, 2013 edition