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11. Council ProceduresAgenda -August 4, 1997 AGENDA ITEM 11 - COUNCIL PROCEDURES BACKGROUND/CONSIDERATION: As per Council Member Nystul's request, I have reviewed procedures to place items on the agenda. In my opinion, the essence of a Council Member's rights is to have the capability to place items on the agenda for public discussion. Although, as the City Manager, the agenda is my responsibility to compile, I am sensitive to the needs of the community and the Council's desire to discuss certain issues. Historically, I have added items to the agenda upon request of Mayors or Council Members. Most of these items have caused discussion, some research and staff time, and in some cases, changes in policy direction to the staff. Simply stated: This is a Council Member's prerogative. I do, however, understand the thought process that one Council Member should not be able to influence staff direction, time, and effort on an issue that the majority of the Council may not agree with. I assure you that as the Manager of staff resources, I will not allow frivolous requests to waste our time and will tell a Council Member that I believe the issue does not warrant further staff time and effort. I would suggest, to enhance the threshold of comfort for items to be placed on the agenda, that the following procedures be followed by all Council Members: Agenda -August 4, 1997 A. Council Member should discuss the item with the City Manager. Together we can decide if this is an item to be placed on the agenda. B. Future agenda items as requested by the Council Members will then be placed on the next agenda. This will identify the Council Member who requested the item and what the agenda item will be. C. Council would generally discuss the potential agenda item request and give direction to the City Manager, as a Council, as to placement or non - placement of this item on a future agenda. D. If placement on the agenda is agreed upon, the City Manager will then cause research or information gathering for that item by the staff. The City Manager will then place it on an agenda when the timing is right, i.e. all information, research, etc. are complete. This process will: 1. Eliminate surprises - none of us like these! 2. Give control to the Council as a whole for placement of certain items on the agenda. 3. Maintain an orderly process enabling the staff to research and analyze issues. Agenda -August 4, 1997 4. Eliminate staff time/work on items not desired by Council as a whole. 5. Reduce flexibility to Council Members to place items on agenda. 6. Extend time for (or to kill) responses to specific Council Member issues. 7. Reduce City Manager's capability to determine what item or when an item is ready to go to the Council. 8. May increase "political gamesmanship" in attempting to keep an item on/off the agenda. Work Sessions A discussion concerning Work Sessions and Council Meetings was requested for this meeting. As I indicated in my April 28 memo to the Mayor and City Council, I believe the need/benefit for Work Sessions, on a regular basis, is minimal. It is my opinion, and I have not heard otherwise from any Council Members, that we have been able to complete our business without the Work Sessions with no adverse affects for the Council, staff, or public. Delays in business have not happened. Staff time is more productive since we do not have to prepare, discuss, and rehash the same issues at a minimum of two meetings and sometimes four meetings. Staff vacation schedules have been accommodated without worrying about meeting dates. We still have, and always will have, the capability Agenda -August 4, 1997 to hold special meetings for any major issue needing additional or special attention and discussion. Since we have not had the Work Sessions at our Council Meetings, we have addressed 11.5 average agenda items in an average of 1.9 hours without degrading the quality of discussions or decisions. Quite frankly, I believe the discussion at the regular Council Meetings are more meaningful since all Council Members participate fully, completely open, on the air, offering their opinions and then voting. I believe we have reduced surprises, have reduced the personal animosity/attacks of Council Members, and have moved our community business along in an orderly fashion. In terms of scheduling for Council Members I would suggest, to enable Council Members to know if we are going to have a Work Session (Special Meeting), that the Council Members "reserve" the 2nd Monday of each month. If we then need the Work Session/Special Meeting, we would target the 2Ad Monday of each month as the date for the meeting. This would leave the 4th or 5th Monday open for personal use unless another Special Meeting comes up such as the 5th Monday Joint Meeting with the County and other communities. I sincerely believe Work Sessions have not been extremely productive but are time consuming. I still believe as pointed out in my April 28 memo that we can do most of the City business in our regular Council Meeting sessions.