HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 2304-1249CITY OF PALO ALTO
Policy & Services Committee
Special Meeting
Wednesday, April 26, 2023
Community Meeting Room & Hybrid
Meeting Location Changed
7:00 PM
Agenda Item
3.City Council Referral to Discuss and Recommend Council Protocols on International Travel
and other City Council referrals related to the City Council Procedures and Protocols.
Policy & Services Committee
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: ACTION ITEMS
Lead Department: City Manager
Meeting Date: April 26, 2023
Report #:2304-1249
TITLE
City Council Referral to Discuss and Recommend Council Protocols on International Travel and
other City Council referrals related to the City Council Procedures and Protocols.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Policy and Services Committee discuss the referral from the City
Council related to City Council international travel and make a recommendation to the Council
for inclusion in the City Council Procedures and Protocols Handbook. If time allows, the
Committee can also discuss any other referral related to the City Council Procedures and
Protocols Handbook.
BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
The City Council discussed the City Council Procedures and Protocols Handbook on January 30
and March 20, 2023 and referred a few discussion topics to the Policy and Services Committee.
The referrals included the following:
1. Procedures Section 1.1: Annual Organization of City Council
2. Procedures Section 5.1a(4): Video Participation for Public Comment. As an alternative,
staff included text in the revised Handbook to simply note that if feasible this will be
implemented. If Council is not satisfied with this clause, this text can be deleted and the
item fully evaluated at committee.
3. Procedures Section 8.2: Censure language was referred to committee for review.
4. Protocols Section 2.2: Refrain from Lobbying Board and Commission Members.
5. Protocols Section 2.8: The Role of Council Liaison to Boards or Commissions. Council
recommended involving the Board/Commission Chairs in this process.
6. Protocols Section 4: International Travel
7. Protocols Section 4.1: Miscellaneous Expenditures. Council referral for the committee to
discuss the establishment of appropriate parameters for Council discretionary
expenditures and whether to allocate $2,000 annually from the Council contingency
fund for each Council member to decide its purpose.
These topics will be scheduled throughout the year at the Committee to balance workload. The
first topic is highlighting for Committee discussion is: Councilmember international travel. If
time allows, the Committee can discuss any other of the referral topics listed above. Regarding
Council member international travel, the Council asked the Committee to consider this topic
especially with the following sub-questions:
•Should Councilmember international travel be approved for reimbursement.
•Should certain international travel expenses for the Mayor or Councilmembers
related to Sister Cities be covered by the City.
Additionally, Neighbors Abroad, the nonprofit organization that engages with the City‘s Sister
Cities on behalf on the City of Palo Alto, has raised a question related to expenses for
Sister/Sibling City visits. Often when Palo Alto has a delegation visiting a Sister/Sibling City, the
Sister/Sibling Cities will arrange for expenses to be covered for the delegations airport
transportation to the actual Sister/Sibling City (not the flight itself) and sometimes for other
expenses throughout the visit (such as meals or hotel stay). When delegations visit Palo Alto,
the City and Neighbors Abroad typically only fund expenses related to organized meals and will
sometimes arrange for travel to and from meetings in and around Palo Alto.
Historically, most Sister/Sibling Cities have not asked about reciprocity for their visits (asking
Palo Alto to cover a comparable amount of expenses during delegation visits to Palo Alto).
However, this topic has come up more recently and discussion of international travel protocols
provides an opportunity to clarify expectations of City expenditures for Sister/Sibling City
delegation visits to Palo Alto. The Committee may wish to consider recommending the
establishment of clear expectations around what expenses will be covered by Palo Alto for
visiting Sister/Sibling City delegations, what frequency will they be covered (e.g., annually or
every 5 years), and which delegates will be covered (e.g., a number but not the entire
delegation). The expenses in question include to hotel/lodging and transportation, but
discussion could extend to meals and other expenses. The Committee can recommend a policy
to the City Council for the Handbook that includes what to cover and a source of funds for
those expenses.
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
Depending on the recommendations from the Policy and Services Committee, there could be
the need to increase the City Council travel budget. Staff will be able to assess the costs based
on the Committee recommendation. Currently the Council also has a $125,000 annual
contingent account that could be recommended for these ad hoc purposes.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
The City Council began this discussion related to the travel section of the Handbook on March
20, 2023. Staff reached out to Neighbors Abroad since that time. No additional engagement has
been done to date.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This is not a project.
APPROVED BY:
Chantal Cotton Gaines, Deputy City Manager