Amended ICMA University Web Conference MinutesMinutes
ICMA University Web Conference
June 6,2013
1:00 pm
Webinar Speakers: Kevin Duggan, ICMA West Coast Regional Director and Mike Conduff,President
and CEO of Elim Group and Author
Present: Mayor Borno,Commissioners Mark, Daugherty and Beckenbach(arrived late at 1:53 pm). Also
included Donna Bartle and Jim Hanson.
Nested Set Principal
By"Nested Set"they are using an analogy with a nested set of bowls where each smaller bowl
fits into the larger one. The point was that every detail and decision made in a council meeting
should be viewed in terms of the biggest picture.
The speaker said that as long as we have control of the annual agenda(similar to Strategic
Planning)then things fit together well(i.e.; smaller day to day decisions).
Annual Agenda
Speakers recommended that a council should have an annual retreat to think of the big issues.
There is only so much time available and they should think"What legacy do they want to leave?"
Then it becomes a staff activity to get it done. Timeframes should be assigned for the
accomplishment of each item and that they should"check-in"at least quarterly.
Audiences
This refers to various groups that may be interested in a particular issue. We should take time to
identify and notify those groups before meetings. Speakers noted"you will always have someone
to say they were not notified"even when they were.
Speakers discussed that often it may be impossible to reach a consensus with everyone but a good
goal is often in reducing the intensity of the opposition for one project or another. Speakers noted
council members should make personal visits with the Manager; it is"immensely valuable",
particularly to meet with the Mayor prior to any meetings so that they are comfortable with the
agenda that they must preside over.
It is important to try to estimate what opposition there may be to various agenda items and
anticipate how long each meeting will take. Speakers noted that councils often become
unproductive if the meetings go too late in the evening.
Staff Reports
Should go by a particular style and format. There should be general agreement in each City as to
the length of the reports and how to report financial impact. Staff reports should include
recommendations as well as alternatives and must be professional and well written.
Staff Presentations
Staff should be provided with clear expectations on the length,content, style and visual aids for
presentations. There should also be consistency between presenters.
Encouraging Council Members to Give Questions before Meetings
A question was framed around"how can we create understanding with the council before a
meeting?"(about the issues they will vote on). One suggestion made was for the Manager to
reach out to council members(assuming they don't already have individual meetings)a day or
two before each meeting to see if there are any questions. By getting the questions beforehand,
staff can be better prepared to answer them,or several questions may not need to be asked in a
regular meeting at all and can save time. Speakers noted that there are some questions that would
be asked in the meeting,even if elected officials know the answer, simply to make a point to the
public.
Regular Council Check-ins
Speakers suggested spacing out complex issues between various agendas if possible so as not to
overload elected officials with too many complex decisions at one time. They noted that this can
also be a problem if you have too many meetings in close proximity to each other.
What Goes on at a Meeting?
Every community has its own history and style. One Manager noted that the most successful
meetings they had been in are the ones where they said little or nothing. This means that the staff
and elected officials were well prepared prior to the meeting. Speakers recommended that
councils develop a set of meeting protocols at a time when everyone is"calm"and that they
should be written down. (Equivalent to Atlantic Beach's Rules of Order)
These should include what role the Mayor,Manager and Attorney will take in the meetings. The
Mayor should read each item on the agenda at the meeting. The Manager should be careful to
give council members enough time for processing prior to making a decision. For big items,
again this often means having individual briefings prior to meetings.
Council Conduct
Speakers noted that every City needs a"code"or written set of procedures. Commissioner Mark
suggested that the City may need to review these.
Speakers suggested council meetings should also include a"hero time"where the Manager and
Council Members can recognize city staff for doing good work. Agendas often include"future
item requests"from elected officials. They noted that most states prohibit an elected body from
talking about these if not on the agenda,but that a council member can ask that they be put on a
future agenda.
A recommendation was made that elected bodies should have an agreement on the maximum
time for a meeting to run;when it should end. If you reach that time,and if agenda items are not
complete,the Council should be ready to go and put those items off until a later meeting.
Noted that if,through lack of following rules of order or conduct,a council meeting becomes
more of a side show,then the City business is not being done well. This can happen if the
conversation turns personal or overly argumentative. Speakers noted that the public gets their
view of an elected body as a whole and not of individuals. Therefore,arguing too much or
making personal attacks not only harms the council member making them but also the entire
group.
Council Protocols
Discussions in meetings should never become personal. Council Members must"do enforcement
of their own"if rules are broken. The City Manager cannot do this. If something does not go
well in a meeting,you should focus on the future and doing better. You shouldn't make things
worse by the way that you act at the time.
Democracy is messy". We should not try to"control"democracy.
When the Council does not follow their own protocol, it should be up to the Mayor to remind
Council Members of their protocol. The City Manager should not get involved except when there
are allegations raised about city staff. A point made that if a council develops its own protocol,
they are more likely to follow it than not.
The webinar ended at 2:31 pm.
Webinar concluded;discussion by Commissioners after the webinar
There was a general consensus that the Commission should review the rules of order contained in
the City Code because some of them are not always followed. There was also an agreement that
this should be done after the election(and after the budget is complete)so that new elected
officials can join in the discussion.This can be combined with training for new officials. The
understanding that this would be done prior to the November meeting when new officials take
office. Training was to include Roberts Rules of Order. Discussion included getting a facilitator
or trainer to help with that.
General agreement that the City Manager should try to call the Council Members on the Friday
before or Monday of the meetings to see if they have any questions(other than those that
regularly meet with the City Manager).
There was a consensus that there needs to be further discussion on developing rules for
workshops as opposed to rules for regular meetings because they are less formal.
Discussion was held about needing better equipment for sound in the commission chambers.
There was also a suggestion that we should get video screens to put up behind the Mayor and
Commissioners so that if the meetings are videotaped,what's on the screen will also be visible
through the single camera.
There was a brief discussion about the need to have timelines on strategic projects,but it was
noted that these are contained in the original spreadsheet and updated quarterly.
Commissioners expressed a desire to get the staff out earlier in the meetings rather than making
them wait to the end to make a short report. There was a general consensus also that shorter
verbal staff reports are needed. If the Commissioners read their agenda packet,there is no need
for staff to"read"their staff reports even at the workshop. Staff should mostly be there just to
answer questions although there was an agreement that brief summaries of approximately two
minutes of agenda items just to start the discussion would be needed.
Commissioner Beckenbach stated that it is important to avoid the perception of having a closed
government.The key is to keep the commission, citizens, and news outlets well informed with all
information presented in a timely manner.
The meeting adjourned at 3:29 pm.
Jim Hanson,City Manager Mike Borno,Mayor