A consent agenda, sometimes called a consent calendar, is a practice used by deliberative bodies, including city councils, school boards, and corporate boards, to streamline the meeting process by grouping routine, non-controversial items together into one agenda item. This allows the body to approve all these items together without discussion, saving time and simplifying the proceedings.

How a Consent Agenda Works:


A consent agenda, sometimes called a consent calendar, is a practice used by deliberative bodies, including city councils, school boards, and corporate boards, to streamline the meeting process by grouping routine, non-controversial items together into one agenda item. This allows the body to approve all these items together without discussion, saving time and simplifying the proceedings.

How a Consent Agenda Works:

  1. Preparation: Before the meeting, the agenda is prepared and distributed to all members. Items that are routine, procedural, or non-controversial are placed on the consent agenda. These typically include matters like approval of previous meeting minutes, standard contracts or purchases within a budget, reports of committees that don’t require action, and routine procedural decisions.
  2. Review: Members review all items on the consent agenda prior to the meeting. If a member believes that an item requires discussion or is controversial, they can request that the item be removed from the consent agenda and placed on the regular agenda for individual consideration.
  3. At the Meeting: During the meeting, the chair asks if any members want to remove items from the consent agenda. If no items are removed, the entire consent agenda is voted on at once, without individual discussion of the items contained within it.
  4. Voting: Approval of the consent agenda usually requires a standard majority vote. Once approved, all items on the consent agenda are adopted simultaneously.

Advantages of Using a Consent Agenda:

  • Efficiency: Saves valuable meeting time by reducing the amount of discussion and debate on routine items.
  • Focus: Allows members to focus their time and discussion on more significant or complex issues.
  • Simplification: Streamlines administrative tasks by handling routine matters quickly and efficiently.

Potential Drawbacks:

  • Lack of Scrutiny: Important issues can sometimes be overlooked if they are mistakenly placed on the consent agenda without sufficient review.
  • Reduced Transparency: The process might seem less transparent to the public, especially if substantive issues are handled without open discussion.

Using a consent agenda effectively requires careful consideration of what is included on it and a willingness by members to review materials in advance. It’s a valuable tool for managing meetings more efficiently while ensuring that more time is available for in-depth discussion of complex or contentious issues.