02-25-09 Workshop AgendaWORKSHOP AGENDA
Wednesday, February 25, 2009, 6-8pm
Training for City Boards
Government in the Sunshine
Required:
Open & Accessible
Notice
Written Minutes
A Good Idea:
Good rules of conduct: Roberts ‘Modified’ Rules (presentation, testimony, Q&A, close, debate, motion, vote)
Reasonable time limits: be flexible but don’t allow one person to dominate the time
Sticking to an Agenda
Avoiding ‘sidebar’ conversations
Public Records
Format doesn’t count: anything having to do with official business, including ‘drafts’, notes, email
Legislative vs. Quasi-Judicial
Legislative: Setting public policy, drafting new rules, “fairly debatable” standard of review
Quasi-Judicial: Applying existing rules to an actual case, need for evidence and not just comments, “competent, substantial evidence”
Ethics
Actual voting conflict of interest: personal or immediate family member obtains financial gain by outcome of vote
Perceived voting conflict of interest: appearance of a conflict, based on declared conflict
Misuse of public property/public position, accepting bribes or other promises, using ‘insider’ information for your benefit