HomeMy WebLinkAbout10 26 2015 Work Session Agenda O, PRI
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CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION REPORT
MEETING DATE: OCTOBER 26, 2015
AGENDA#: ITEM 1
PREPARED BY: FRANK BOYLES, CITY MANAGER
PRESENTED BY: MULTIPLE PARTIES
AGENDA ITEM: CITY COUNCIL DISCUSSION ON VARIOUS TOPICS
INTRODUCTION: For some time now I have wanted to set aside a City Council work
session to have a discussion "for the good of the order".
My hope is that we can discuss various topics to get a better individual
and collective understanding on topics which can improve council —
council and staff—council dynamics.
I am not talking "touchy feely". Instead I am seeking clarification on how
we want to approach certain day to day activities more consistently and
in the process better serve our internal and external customers.
Below are five possible topics together with a brief introduction for each.
If councilors do not believe one or more of the topics is relevant then
please by all means offer other topics which are more relevant from your
perspective
TOPICS: 1. Emails: The City Council and staff receive a high volume of
emails. When I am copied I try to provide a quick but brief
response leaving council members the flexibility to respond any
way they choose. Is this practice appropriate? Some may view
this as a brush off. Others might believe that I over influence the
council. Some may say "they want to hear from you not me". If
the present procedure is appropriate, how should we handle
emails sent to an individual versus the entire council? It may be
that the City Council wishes to address such matters individually
and leave it at that. More than once I have had a council member
refer to an email they thought I received and I did not. If no one
responds to such emails the wrong impression could be left.
2. City Council Work Groups: My observation is that city council
members work hard individually as well as when they are part of
a work group. Assessment Review, bylaws, and City Manager
evaluation are just a few examples. While the work product of a
work group can and should be subject to modification by the City
Council, I am wondering if there is a way to make such
modifications which does not result in the perception that there
are winners and losers on the City Council. I fear that the
Phone 952.447.9800 / Fax 952.447.4245/www.cityofpriorlake.com
repetition of such a scenario could interfere with the future
working relationships between councilors.
3. Data Requests: Councilors make requests for information from
the City Staff on a regular basis. I encourage councilors to do so.
I ask my staff to tell me who was asked for what primarily to
monitor workload as well as to share requested information with
the rest of the City Council. My bias is that if one councilor wants
a particular piece of information the others are likely to be
interested as well. Please remember if you are going to hold me
accountable for requested information either make the request
through me or copy me assuming you are using email.
4. Councilor and City Attorney: The City Attorney is there to help
councilors in the event they are uncertain about how to approach
an agenda item. We have a long standing practice that if a
councilor contacts the City Attorney he/she will tell me about the
inquiry without necessarily providing details. It is one thing to ask
the City Attorney a brief question. It is another to ask for work
product. When legal research is necessary it would be desirable
to provide direction to the attorney at the city council meeting if at
all possible. Council discussion on this topic would be in order if
you disagree.
5. Newspaper: To date the official newspaper has been used for a
periodic Mayor's column and of course for legal notices. Does the
City Council believe that any modifications to this approach are
appropriate?
CONCLUSION: We have reserved the full two hour session for this discussion, so I am
hopeful that councilors may have other similar topics they wish to
discuss. On the other hand, I have asked staff members to be prepared
to offer one or more discussion topics if the above conversation is
completed early.
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