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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