CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Review options to improve meeting efficiency and direct staff accordingly
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DEPARTMENT: City Manager's Office
SUBMITTED BY: Pam Gallahue, PhD, Deputy City Manager
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
N/A
BACKGROUND:
Under New Business at the June 4, 2024 City Council meeting, the Mayor explained that over the past year staff has made changes at the board/commission level to increase meeting and procedural efficiency. Council members discussed having staff conduct a similar evaluation at the City Council level and, by consensus, Council directed staff to present recommendations for meeting and procedure efficiencies on a future agenda.
DISCUSSION:
Council Rules: Section 1-5-6-3
As stated in Council Rules, all regular open session meetings shall begin at 7:00 p.m. and conclude at 11:00 p.m. unless a majority of City Council members vote to extend the meeting by a certain time.
A history of improvements
Staff continuously evaluates meetings to identify opportunities to improve agenda management and meeting efficiency. In order to maximize the four hours the Council has to conduct City business and hear from the public, the following improvements have been made over the years:
* Speaker sign-up and participation
o Sign-up expanded from in-person only for 30 minutes prior to the meeting to online for six days prior to the meeting
o Added options to submit written comments and position statements instead of addressing the Council in person
* Agenda management
o Increased City Manager purchasing authority from $50,000 to $100,000
o Upcoming topics monitored to ensure no one meeting has multiple major agenda items
o Informs Council of upcoming major agenda items by quarter
o Removed Employee of the Month, department team awards, and career observance weeks/months (e.g., Public Works Week) as these are now hosted by individual departments
o Limit awards/recognition items to three per meeting
Specifically, over the pa...
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