Rochester Hills council members who miss three or more meetings in a year would face mandatory intervention from the Council President under proposed rule changes being drafted by a city committee.
The changes would also add the council's first-ever dress code and restrict when members can claim per diem pay.
Council members Jason Carlock, Theresa Mungioli, and Marvie Neubauer, the three members of the Policy and Procedure Technical Review Committee, met at 2:30 p.m. Friday, July 24, at city offices on 1000 Rochester Hills Drive to continue the review. City Clerk Leanne Scott also participated.
The committee has not released finalized minutes from the July 24 session. But draft minutes from its previous meeting on Friday, May 22, show the group agreed on several concrete changes to how council members conduct themselves.
Attendance crackdown
At the May 22 meeting, the committee agreed to propose a threshold of three or more unexcused absences per calendar year as what it called a "chronic" situation in the draft minutes, automatically triggering mandatory contact from the Council President. Members would also be expected to notify the city by 5 p.m. on the Friday before a regular meeting if they plan to be absent.
The current rules have no such threshold.
The committee reviewed an AI-generated analysis of the existing Rules of Procedure that flagged weak attendance enforcement as a high-risk gap. Attendance expectations would extend to committee assignments, and members with persistent scheduling conflicts would need to request a formal reassignment from the Council President.
Dress code and city-branded apparel
The committee found that the current Rules of Procedure contain no explicit appearance guidelines. The group determined a new section is needed requiring council members and staff to maintain a professional appearance.
Community spirit wear, such as local school or sports shirts, would be acceptable if styled professionally, for example layered under a blazer. The committee also discussed ordering official city-logo gear for public events, with members paying out of pocket.
The July 24 agenda listed "RH Clothing" under other business, suggesting the apparel discussion continued at that meeting.
Per diem meeting pay
The committee recommended tighter criteria for what counts as a qualifying meeting for per diem compensation. To qualify, a meeting must be directly related to an official council role or assigned board, involve substantive participation, and last at least 30 minutes. Political campaigning, debates, and general networking events would be explicitly excluded.
The review followed concerns over inconsistent timecard entries where brief constituent interactions were occasionally logged the same as formal, hours-long meetings, according to the May 22 draft minutes.
What comes next
The committee's next meeting date has not been announced. Any recommended rule changes would still need approval from the full Rochester Hills City Council before taking effect. Residents with questions can contact City Clerk Leanne Scott at (248) 656-4630.
