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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 11499 City of Palo Alto (ID # 11499) City Council Staff Report Report Type: Study Session Meeting Date: 8/3/2020 City of Palo Alto Page 1 Summary Title: Council Discussion on Virtual Meetings Title: City Council Discussion of Procedures for Virtual Council Meetings From: City Manager Lead Department: City Manager Recommendation Staff recommends that Council review its procedures for the conduct of virtual meetings. Background The Coronavirus pandemic has necessitated dramatic changes in the nature of public meetings across the nation. In California, on March 17, 2020 Governor Newsom signed Executive Order N-29-20 that suspends, on an emergency basis pursuant to Government Code § 8571, certain provisions of the Brown Act’s general requirements for public meetings. The suspension will remain in effect only as long as state or local public health officials have imposed or recommended social distancing measures. Similarly, the Palo Alto City Council’s Procedures and Protocols Handbook contains a number of provisions, such as “telephonic attendance,” that are not applicable to completely virtual meetings. The Palo Alto City Council has been holding completely virtual meetings since April 6, 2020 and continues today. At this time there is no indication of a date at which the council will return to in-person meetings. Following the July recess, this is an opportune time to review and affirm best practices for conducting virtual meetings. Discussion Mayor Fine and Councilmember Cormack have prepared the attached set of suggested practices for council discussion. Subject to council discussion, these practices can be informally implemented, or incorporated as a temporary addendum to the Council’s Procedures and Protocols Handbook. Environmental Review This is not a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). City of Palo Alto Page 2 Attachments A: Mayor Fine and Councilmember Cormack notes B: City Council Procedures and Protocols Handbook (Feb 1, 2020) C: California Governor’s Executive Order N-29-20 (Mar 17, 2020) Attachments: • Attachment A: Memo From Cormack and Fine • Attachment B: 3.17.20-N-29-20-Executive Order TO: HONORABLE COUNCIL MEMBERS FROM: COUNCIL MEMBER ALISON CORMACK AND MAYOR ADRIAN FINE DATE: AUGUST 3, 2020 SUBJECT: BEST PRACTICES FOR ONLINE PUBLIC MEETINGS Best Practices for Online Public Meetings As our nation and community grapple with concurrent major crises, public participation in government decision-making is of even greater importance. But it is also more challenging due to the remote or virtual nature of our meetings. Additionally, the issues we face have brought many new voices - and passion - to our City Council meetings. In order to effectively manage and execute the public’s business, these guidelines can help us all provide input, ask questions, and make better decisions in the community’s interest. The City of Palo Alto is committed to making it easy and accessible for members of the public to attend and participate in public meetings. The following is a list of best practices for councilmembers, members of the public, and city staff to participate in remote, online public meetings. Some of these are best practices while others are codified in the City Council Procedures and Protocols Handbook. Ultimately, it is up to each of us to behave professionally and with respect for others. For Councilmembers: • Councilmembers should endeavor to have their video on at all times so that the public, staff, and colleagues can see that they are listening. A minimum of four members must be on video to constitute a quorum. Brief turnoffs are understandable and permitted, but for example, having video off throughout public comments and then turning it back on when it is time for Councilmembers to speak is not appropriate for a public meeting. • The Chair will strive to give ten minute breaks every two hours to allow everyone to move around and eat or drink as desired. • The Chair will identify what “type” of round Council is on: questions, comments, or Motions. • Councilmembers should only speak when recognized by the Chair. • Councilmembers should limit themselves to 5 minutes per round of speaking, and will be alerted when they reach 5 minutes. • For each round, the Chair will note the order of the speakers as councilmembers raise their hands in Zoom. Motions and Amendments are considered new rounds, and the order of speaking is cleared, except for the maker and seconder of a Motion. Once a round is completed, the Chair will try to return to the original speaking order. • If only one or two councilmembers would like additional time, the Chair can move to the next order of business (next item, voting, etc). This prevents a minority of councilmembers from being the only speakers round after round. • When voting, the Chair will identify the sequence of voting, and will try to mix the order to not give anyone a privilege in terms of sequence. I.E., A→Z, then B→A, then C→B, and so on. • State law requires councilmembers to vocalize their vote, and councilmembers should not speak beyond a simple “yes” or “no”. Hand waves or thumbs-up do not count! For Members of the Public: • Members of the public are encouraged to attend and participate in all of Palo Alto’s public meetings, including Board and Commission meetings, standing council committees, and City Council meetings. • Members of the public are welcome to speak on any agendized item (an item with a number attached to it), where their comments should pertain to that item, or during Oral Communications, where they are welcome to address items not on the agenda but within Council’s purview. • Members of the public may not speak to items such as Call to Order, Agenda Changes, Additions and Deletions, City Manager Comments, Council Member Questions, Comments and Announcements, or Adjournment. • The City Council is not permitted to enter into debate or discussion in response to public comments, though the Chair may direct the City Manager to respond to a particular comment at a later date. (See Protocols and Procedures Section 1.4, D, 1). • Members of the public who wish to speak on an item should raise their hand in Zoom, at which point the City Clerk will record their name on a numbered list which is presented in the meeting. This is intended to capture everyone who wishes to speak and to communicate the order of speakers. • Members of the public may only speak on an item once, unless otherwise recognized by the Chair. (See Protocols and Procedures Section 1.4, B.) • At the beginning of the public comment period, the Chair will indicate how long public comment will last, how much time each speaker will have, and if public comment will be ended at a certain time. The Chair will announce when the Council will stop accepting public speakers, and the City Clerk will announce the final speaker on the list. • The default speaking time for all public comments is 3 minutes, but the Chair may reduce that to accommodate a large number of speakers. (See Protocols and Procedures Section 1.4, D, 1). • Five or more members of the public who are in attendance at the meeting may speak as a group by indicating to the City Clerk they would like to do so, and will be allotted a larger amount of time. All members of the group must be on the Zoom meeting. (See Protocols and Procedures Section 1.4, D, 3). • If they have nothing additional to add, members of the public are encouraged to signal their support for another speaker’s comments. • The Chair may limit Oral Communications to 30 minutes when necessary in order to allow time for the remaining items on the agenda. The Chair may also allow additional Oral Communications at the end of the agenda. (See Protocols and Procedures Section 1.4, D, 1). • Members of the public, Councilmembers, and City Staff should all act with respect and decorum and should not use the council chambers (virtual or in-person) for any purpose other than participation in or observation of City Council Meetings. (See Protocols and Procedures Section 1.4, D, 6).