First reading
Definition
A first reading formally introduces an ordinance to the council, typically without discussion, public comment, or a vote. It sets up a second reading, later, which includes a public hearing and the actual up-or-down vote.
Why it matters
Because first reading happens without debate, an ordinance can clear its first procedural hurdle quietly, sometimes on a consent agenda, before most residents notice it exists. The real chance to weigh in usually comes at the second reading's public hearing, often the only meeting where testimony changes anything.
Seen in the wild
Municipal codes commonly require two separate readings at two separate meetings before an ordinance takes effect, a standard practice documented across cities from Colorado's Grand Junction to Indiana's Carmel, meant to prevent councils from passing binding law in a single rushed session.1