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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-10-08 Policy & Services Committee Summary MinutesPOLICY & SERVICES COMMITTEE SUMMARY MINUTES Page 1 of 5 Regular Meeting October 8, 2024 The Policy & Services Committee of the City of Palo Alto met on this date in Council Chambers and by virtual teleconference at 7:00 PM Present In-Person: Lydia Kou (Chair), Julie Lythcott-Haims, Greg Tanaka Absent: None Call to Order Chair Kou called the meeting to order. The clerk called roll and declared all were present. Public Comments There were no requests to speak. Agenda Items 1. Review of the New Council Member Orientation / Onboarding Outline for Discussion and Possible Recommended Action by Council Deputy City Manager Chantal Cotton Gaines noted that City Clerk Mahealani Ah Yun was online and that Deputy City Clerk Christine Prior was in chambers. They would present the onboarding materials to the Committee for review and feedback, and they requested that the Committee recommend its approval to the Full Council. She outlined what was included in Sections 1 through 9 on Packet Pages 7 through 9. Council Member Lythcott-Haims shared her recent onboarding experience. She voiced that there had been much information, which had been comprehensive and overwhelming. The process had taken place after she had been sworn in. Spreading the process out over a series of days or weeks may make it less overwhelming. Public Comments There were no public comments. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 2 of 5 Policy & Services Committee Meeting Summary Minutes: 10/8/2024 Council Member Lythcott-Haims estimated onboarding to be about 4.75 hours in length. She wondered if it should be done in one day or spread over days or weeks and asked what would be the best way to deliver this as it related to content retention. She stated that in some ways there might be a good response to onboarding occurring two days back to back, but she also thought items needed to be added to what was listed in Sections 1 through 9 and that perhaps the process should be longer. She felt new Council members should understand how they would work with the offices listed in Section 1. She believed key documents that Council members ought to be aware of should be listed and that meeting preparation time and best practices for such should be addressed. She suggested that the differences in the consent and action calendars be outlined. She discussed the complexity of making motions and proposed that new Council members practice motions. She thought all new Council members should have Finance Committee orientation. Deputy City Manager Gaines replied that the personal experience that Council Member Lythcott-Haims shared was valuable. Maybe there was a way to spread the process out but keeping in mind scheduling impacts. If it was desired to have a number of items per session, staff could investigate how to balance scheduling. Deputy City Clerk Christine Prior added that in the past there had been two sessions and maybe more breaks or more than two sessions could be planned. Council Member Tanaka thought new Council members should understand how they would get an item on the agenda. He felt that public interaction and youth involvement were important and should be addressed. Chair Kou discussed having had a one-on-one conversation related to the budget, which she thought would be beneficial to new Council members. She suggested that there be an overview of certain policies. She believed procedures and protocols should be reviewed when Council members were assigned to a committee, board, etc., to ensure proper City representation. She referenced Section 1 and noted that Council members worked for the public, which she felt should be emphasized. She inquired what the last words of Section 4.1 were. Deputy City Clerk Prior responded that the last words of Section 4.1 were meeting etiquette. Deputy City Manager Gaines noted that the minutes from this meeting would be shared with Council, but she had captured the themes to be sharing key documents that Council needed to refer to; including information on meeting preparation best practices; sharing sections from the Procedures and Protocols Handbook related to the chart of motions and speaking about parliamentary procedure in the meetings, the role of Council liaisons, and adding items to Council agendas; and offering an opportunity to do a deeper dive on budget. City Attorney Molly Stump liked the idea of having a virtual library with key documents, which may exist, but it could be built out and new Council members directed to it. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 3 of 5 Policy & Services Committee Meeting Summary Minutes: 10/8/2024 Deputy City Clerk Prior added that there was a digital resource library that included a lot of the referenced documents, but they would highlight that and let folks know it was available. Council Member Lythcott-Haims thought Deputy City Manager Gaines had captured everything except for how Council would work with various Council-appointed officers and various roles and how they interrelated. Deputy City Manager Gaines included that in her notes and summarized it as spending a little more time on the roles and the interconnectedness of them, especially related to Council. She would send her notes to Deputy City Clerk Christine Prior. Council Member Tanaka wanted office hours and interns addressed. Deputy City Manager Gaines asked if that could be shared as some of the practices Council members had used for the role of Council. Council Member Tanaka replied there were many ways to do it but that was one way. Chair Kou supported having office hours. She asked if the City Attorney should review the scope of interns as it related to sensitive information. City Attorney Stump responded that Council members could use the help of paid persons, volunteers, etc., to prepare for work. The City did not have a program, so they did not screen, hire, manage, or evaluate that working relationship. How a Council member wanted to do and prepare for their work was their choice. There were legal issues related those helping with work presenting themselves as a City employee. Chair Kou thought what City Attorney Molly Stump discussed should be explained. She spoke of it being a personal choice how much time a Council member would put into their work, speaking with constituents, etc. Deputy City Manager Gaines expressed that was why she suggested listing practices Council members used for office hours and interns and letting new Council members make their own choice. Council Member Tanaka discussed other cities’ councils having staff or interns. Deputy City Manager Gaines noted that some cities had full-time city councils that had hired staff or interns. Palo Alto was not the only city that did not have hired staff or interns. Council Member Tanaka added that some of the city councils he referenced were part time. Council Member Lythcott-Haims felt that former Council Member Filseth’s unfunded pension liability video should be required viewing for any new Council member and that they should be quizzed on it to ensure understanding. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 4 of 5 Policy & Services Committee Meeting Summary Minutes: 10/8/2024 MOTION: Council Member Lythcott-Haims moved, seconded by Council Member Tanaka, to recommend the City Council approve the onboarding outline including the Committee’s suggested additions. MOTION PASSED: 3-0 2. Presentation of the Office of the City Auditor Quarterly Report for the Period of July - September 2024 City Auditor Kate Murdock displayed slides. She voiced that work on the Annual Risk Assessment and Fiscal Year 2025 Audit Plan were underway. They had interviewed nearly all of the executive leadership team and Council members. They were analyzing results and would present the FY2025 Annual Audit Plan for Council’s approval in November or December. Work on the FY2025 Annual Audit Plan would commence in January 2025. Work on the External Financial Statement Audit was underway and on track, and the audit results would be presented at the December 3 Finance Committee meeting. They were in the process of reviewing the contract with the City’s external financial auditor, which would expire in March 2025. She detailed the progress that had been made on the Annual Audit Plan in the first quarter. One of the audit results would be presented at the November Policy and Services Committee meeting. She furnished a table showing the audits presented or those that had been underway in the first quarter. She spoke of the City hotline and reporting, and work had been done to modify the FY2024 audit plan to better serve the City’s risk management needs, and two hotline allegations were being investigated. Chair Kou queried what the hotline complaints had been about. She asked if the public understood that the hotline was not about harassment but was about fraud, waste, and abuse of equipment, property, etc. City Auditor Murdock answered that one allegation had been referred to the City Manager’s office and the other was related to potential fraud, waste, and abuse. She did not know if any surveys had been done to ask the public about their perceptions of what the hotline was to be used for. A definition was addressed in the policy. She needed to investigate the public’s understanding. City Attorney Molly Stump remarked that the hotline and the City’s anti-harassment and anti- discrimination polices was information for City employees, and that was okay because the City wanted to receive communications and there was a process to route concerns to the appropriate place. Public Comments There were no requests to speak. Council Member Tanaka thought evaluation and benchmarking would provide a tremendous benefit, and he encouraged that more work and emphasis be put on it above everything else. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 5 of 5 Policy & Services Committee Meeting Summary Minutes: 10/8/2024 City Auditor Murdock responded that they were planning to do benchmarking activity. MOTION: Council Member Kou moved, seconded by Council Member Tanaka, to recommend the City Council accept the Office of the City Auditor’s Quarterly Status Report covering Q1 July – September 2024, and that the City Auditor’s Office should consider including evaluation and benchmarking in future reports. MOTION PASSED: 3-0 Future Meetings and Agendas Deputy City Manager Chantal Cotton Gains declared that instead of there being a meeting on November 12 there would be a special meeting on November 6 to accommodate a special City Council meeting on November 12. Though it could change, the items would include an audit report related to ADA compliance, a discussion on the procedure for City Council’s priority setting discussion/retreat, and legislative guidelines. There would potentially be a discussion on the Boards and Commissions Handbook, although it may go to the Full Council. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 7:54 PM