20 - COUNCIL AGENDASItem 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.
AGENDA POLICY
1. All agenda materials must be submitted to the city manager by no later than 12:00 noon the
Tuesday before each regular council meeting. This includes the item wording, covering memor-
andum, backup documents, contracts, ordinances and resolutions (prepared in advance by the city
attorney if required), etc.
2. Sufficient data should be provided to city staff to allow them to prepare suitable memoranda to
accompany each agenda item.
3. The cover memorandum should be thorough enough to allow a lay reader to understand the issue
and the purpose of it being placed on the council's agenda, and should anticipate likely questions.
4. Failure to meet this deadline will result in an item being removed from an agenda.
5. Where practical, the city manager and /or city attorney should assist with appropriate captioning.
6. Agenda items should not duplicate one another.
7. Only a council member on the prevailing side may place a previously voted item on a subsequent
agenda for reconsideration.
8. Agendas will be distributed on Thursday afternoons, before 5:00 p.m.