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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000-06-20 City Council (4)City of Palo Alto City Manager’s Report ATTN:POLICY AND SERVICES COMMITTEE FROM:CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: CITY MANAGER’S OFFICE DATE:JUNE 20, 2000 CMR: 289:00 SUBJECT:COUNCIL-APPOINTED BOARD AND COMMISSION COMMUNICATION, ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES REPORT IN BRIEF Council-appointed boards and commissions provide special expertise, an in-depth review of issues and an increased level of community participation on topics within their scope. Through their deliberations and recommendations, these Council advisory bodies make a significant contribution to the effective operation of the City in its service to the public. At its May 15, 2000 retreat, Council discussed the general role of the City’s boards and commissions and expressed the desire to improve liaison relationships and communication between the boards and commissions and the Council. Staff was asked to bring a discussion regarding this issue to the Policy and Services Committee. The City Manager’s Office convened the staff liaisons of the boards and commissions to discuss the current methods of communication and to develop recommendations to improve the flow of information. The ideas and recommendations generated by staff and by the Council during the May retreat are summarized in the staff report and include: a strengthening of the role of staff liaisons; the establishment of a board and commission priority-setting process; clarification of the role of Council liaisons; and the use of summary sense minutes for board and commission meetings. The Policy and Services Committee is being asked to provide input to these steps to improve communication and transmit its recommendations to the Council. CMR:289:00 Page 1 of 6 RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the Policy and Services Committee provide input on ways to improve liaison relationships and communication between the boards and commissions and the Council as outlined in this staff report, including a strengthening of the role of staff liaisons, the establishment of a board and commission priority-setting process, clarification of the role of Council liaisons, and the use of summary sense minutes for board and commission meetings; and make recommendations to Council. BACKGROUND The City has established seven Council-appointed boards and commissions to advise the Council on a range of important topics. These advisory bodies are the: Architectural Review Board, Historic Resources Board, Human Relations Commission, Library Advisory Commission, Parks and Recreation Commission, Planning/Transportation Commission, Public Art Commission and Utilities Advisory Commission. The purposes and procedures governing these boards and commissions are established in the Palo Alto Municipal Code. Since the Planning/Transportation Commission, Architectural Review Board and Historic Resources Board make quasi-judicial findings and recommendations on land use projects, their duties are prescribed in more detail in the Municipal Code. At its May 15, 2000 retreat, Council discussed the general role of the City’s boards and commissions and expressed the desire to improve liaison relationships and communication between the boards and commissions and the Council. Staff was asked to bring a discussion and recommendations regarding this issue to the Policy and Services Committee. This staff report transmits these recommendations as part of the implementation of the City’s larger streamlining initiative. DISCUSSION The Council relies on boards and commissions to provide special expertise, an in-depth review of issues and an increased level of community participation on topics within their scope. Through their deliberations and recommendations, boards and commissions make a significant contribution to the effective operation of the City in its service to the public. In order to maximize this contribution, it is important that a strong, two-way communication link exists between the Council and its advisory bodies. It can be difficult for boards and commissions to develop successful recommendations if they are not aware of key policy or budget parameters that impact the assignments they receive from Council. Likewise, it can be difficult for the Council to provide its advisory bodies with direction and support if it is not sufficiently informed regarding the critical issues being addressed by the boards and commissions. Thus, two-way communication can CMR:289:00 Page 2 of 6 ensure that boards and commissions understand Council’s expectations, Council understands board and commission perspectives and needs, and both are aware of and have the opportunity to provide input into each others’ priorities. There are currently several methods of communication between the Council and boards and commissions. These methods include: reports by boards and commissions at Council meetings; the inclusion of board and commission agendas and minutes in the Council’s packet; Council retreats or study sessions with boards and commissions; attendance by Council liaisons at board and commission meetings; informal meetings between the Council liaison and the board and commission chair and!or members; and transmission of information through the staff liaison. The City Manager’s Office convened the staff liaisons of the boards and commissions in a series of meetings to discuss the current methods of communication and to develop recommendations to improve the flow of information. The ideas generated through these meetings and during the May Council retreat are summarized below. Staff Liaisons Each board and commission has a staff liaison. The duties of staff liaisons vary and may include: assisting in setting agendas and preparing minutes; preparing staff reports; providing orientation to new members; and coordinating contact with other City staff or advisory bodies as necessary. In addition, staff liaisons have a critical role in facilitating communication between the board or commission and the City Manager and/or the City Council. Staff recommends that this role be strengthened and made more explicit. Specifically: ¯ When necessary, staff liaisons will be responsible for providing boards and commissions with facilitation to define the scope of Council assignments or referrals. Staff liaisons will prepare staff reports summarizing the policy questions, options and recommendations identified by the advisory bodies for Council response. Such reports might be developed at the outset of, and perhaps at key points in, the course of board or commission work on a Council assignment to ensure that the expectations of the Council and the boards and commissions are aligned. ¯In addition, staff liaisons will be responsible for transmitting issues and recommendations identified by the boards and commissions that may require City Manager or Council attention and working with department heads to keep the City Manager informed. ¯The City Manager will keep the Council informed through his weekly memo. For those issues that can be addressed within existing policy and budget parameters, the City Manager will direct staff to work with the board and commission accordingly. The City Manager will agendize policy issues that require Council action. CMR:289:00 Page 3 of 6 Board and Commission Priority-Setting The priorities and work plans of boards and commissions are set in a variety of ways. Many boards and commissions go through an annual priority-setting process in which the goals for the year are outlined. Such a process provides an excellent opportunity for communication between the Council and its advisory bodies to ensure that goals and priorities are aligned. Consequently, the following steps are recommended: ¯Staff liaisons will engage boards and commissions in an annual priority-setting process. Board and commission priorities will be linked to the department’s priorities and work plan. ¯Board and commission priorities will be transmitted to Council to be reviewed, revised, affirmed and incorporated into the Council’s development of budget priorities. Council Liaisons Each board and commission (with the exception of the Planning/Transportation Commission and Architectural Review Board) has a Council Member as a liaison. Council liaisons are seen by boards and commissions as a valuable link to the Council. Because of their broad perspective on issues, understanding of City processes and experience in promoting effective meetings and colleague relationships, Council liaisons are an important resource to boards and commissions. The manner of communication between a Council liaison and a particular board or commission varies from regular attendance at board and commission meetings to relatively informal contact between the Council liaison and board or commission chair person. Given the multiple commitments and busy schedules of many Council Members, it is not always possible for them to attend board and commission meetings on a regular basis. In addition, there are issues to be considered regarding the role of Council liaisons at board and commission meetings. Since individual Council Members cannot speak for the Council as a whole, Council liaisons may be reluctant to provide guidance on board and commission agenda items. Furthermore, at its May retreat, Council expressed that the current expectation that Council liaisons play an advisory role is "circular" and inconsistent with the function of the boards and commissions as advisors to the Council. The following steps are recommended to strengthen and clarify the Council liaison/board and commission relationship: ¯Council liaisons will attend a minimum of one meeting of the board or commission to which they are assigned. It is anticipated that Council liaison attendance may increase when a board or commission is undertaking a major initiative. ¯Board and commission chairs will be responsible to be proactive and contact their Council liaison when they feel input would be helpful. CMR:289:00 Page 4 of 6 Council liaisons and board and commission chairs will be encouraged to work together to develop a method and schedule for informal communication to facilitate the ongoing, two-way flow of information. Board and Commission Meeting Minutes Minutes are prepared for all board and commission meetings and are placed in the Council packet. These minutes take a variety of formats and are of a variety of lengths, depending in large part on the degree to which the discourse in the meeting is summarized. It has been noted that the length and organization of minutes may not be conducive to a clear communication of the key points discussed and actions taken at board and commission meetings. In addition, minutes that attempt to capture the flow of conversation rather than summarize the critical points require extensive staff time or contract resources in order to review and transcribe meeting tapes. The following changes have therefore been instituted by the City Manager so that minutes can be a more effective tool for the boards and commissions to communicate critical issues to the Council: As of July 1, 2000, staff liaisons to boards and commissions will begin preparing summary sense minutes which will summarize the major issues discussed (bullet points are acceptable) and articulate motions on action items. ¯Staff liaisons to non-land use boards and commissions are to limit the minutes to two pages, if at all possible. (It is acknowledged that longer meetings with more agenda items may require an additional page or pages.) ¯Staff liaisons to land use boards and commissions may use discretion to prepare more detailed sense minutes when it is necessary to establish a record to inform applicant and staff follow-up in the entitlement process. ¯Board and commission members will be encouraged to write down the motions they make and to correct motions as necessary when minutes are adopted. ¯Minutes are to be generated by staff from notes taken at the meeting. Review and transcription of video or audiotape should not be necessary. Of course, tape can be consulted if needed. Videotapes will be retained as appropriate to serve as the verbatim record. RESOURCE IMPACT Staff time and $43,000 in contract resources will be saved by the transition to summary sense minutes. POLICY IMPLICATIONS This staff report does not establish new policy. It clarifies the roles and responsibilities related to Council advisory bodies and strengthens communication between the boards and commissions and the Council. This is consistent with policy in the Comprehensive CMR:289:00 Page 5 of 6 Plan to enhance the use of advisory bodies to assist City staff and the City Council on policy issues. TIMELINE The procedures described in this staff report will be put in place in Summer 2000. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW The recommended action in this staff report is not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Environmental assessment is not required. PREPARED BY: Audrey Seymour, Senior Executive Assistant CITY MANAGER APPROVAL: Assistant City Manager CMR:289:00 Page 6 of 6