20 - COUNCIL AGENDAS - Laserfiche WebLink

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Item No. 20 memorandum TO: Mayor & City Council FROM: John Godwin, City Manager SUBJECT: COUNCIL AGENDAS DATE: March 4, 2015 BACKGROUND: A majority of the council's agenda is typically set by staff, which brings items forward based on need, deadlines, actions by citizen commissions and boards, council assignments, etc. Council members often add items to the agenda as well. We currently have no policy to guide or control the placement or even wording of agenda items. As a result, a single council member can add an item regardless of its type or nature, and we sometimes do not get notice of items until late Thursday or even Friday. STATUS OF ISSUE: I do have in place an agenda policy for city employees. It is designed to get the agenda set and finalized in a timely manner, ensure the agenda is legally posted and out to the media and public, avoid conflicting versions of the agenda, reduce overtime for staff working on agenda preparation after hours, and make sure we get supporting data out to council members in advance so that they are fully prepared for meetings. Mayor Frierson has requested that we consider a similar policy for the council, not in an effort to restrict anyone's ability to place appropriate items on the agenda (though many cities do require requests to come from at least two members), but to ensure timeliness, avoid the confusion that comes about with multiple versions of a specific meeting's agenda, and help all council members be prepared and up -to -speed on what they will discuss before Monday evening arrives. I have attached an abbreviated version of the current staff policy, which could also be considered for a council policy. BUDGET: NA RECOMMENDATION: Adopt a policy on council agenda preparation.