01-01-13 Informal Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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INFORMAL MEETING JULY 1. 2013 4:30 P.M. Council Members Present: Tim Scott, Valerie Schey, Dr. Fred Ferlic. Karen White, Dr. David Varner, Derek Dieter, Oliver Davis (4:36), Henry Davis (4:41) Kathy Cekanski- Farrand, John Voorde Agenda: Council Protocol & Communication Council President Derek Dieter called this special meeting to order 4:30. President Dieter briefly stated the purpose of the meeting which was to explore ways of improving council protocols and communication. He said he hoped for an open discussion with input from all. To facilitate the discussion President Dieter turned to Council Attorney Kathy Cekanski - Farrand who had put together a twenty -five (25) page guide she distributed to all (attached) accompied by a slide presation. The remainder of theses minutes will touch briefly on the content of the eleven (11) pages covered in this meeting and pertinent comments from council. Taking the floor Kathy outlined eleven topics for review she had listed in her handout and found on page two (2) of her handout. The topics ranged from basic council operations to working with the Clerk's Office, to structure and procedures, legal considerations and best practices from other cities, to finally action items. Derek noted that as new procedures were developed the code would need to be updated to reflect these new structures. Council member Henry Davis cautioned that new rules should be kept simple, fair and uniformly applied so as not to limit debate or input from the public. Derek said he was all about transparency. Getting into the topics Kathy had listed she started with basic Council operations including a requirement to notify the Clerk's Office if not attending a meeting or an expectation of being late. The Clerk's attendance log for all meetings listing whether an absence was excused or not excused and whether anyone was tardy. Also discussed was silencing of electronic devices and the development of electronic request form used to schedule meetings other than the usual 2nd and 4`h Mondays. Moving to page four (4) of the handout Kathy reviewed the duties and responsibilities of the Chairs of the eleven (11) standing committees and any special or ad hoc committees appointed by the president. Special emphasis was given to compliance with "open door law" requirements due diligence, and annual reporting.