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HomeMy WebLinkAbout0136.091: ~ ~ ~ ,:/ January 31. 1991 THE HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA /. ". Attention: Policy and Procedures Committee aaviaiop of" Cha,q!S to couJ)cil sta_n~illq Co_itt •• , Members of the council: Report in Brief This report has been prepared in response to council direction that the Polic}~ and Procedures Committee consider the reallocation of the responsibilities of the council's two standing committees. The assignment acco~panied Council's direction to also develop a plan for a utilities cO:mll\ission ""'bieh ,""ould be advisory to the Council. The Policy and Procedures Committee considered the subject of the utilities commission at its November 20, 1990 meetinq~ In this report .. staff recommends revisions to the charges to the Policy and Procedures committee and the Finance and Public Works committee in order to more equitably distribute the ~orkload of each committee. Background The subject of the organization and responsibilities of the Council standing committees was originally discussed by the Policy and ProcedUres Committee on May 1, 1990. In the absence of a committee recommendation, the Counci1 elected to discuss the subject as a qUAsi committee of the whole, which ~as done on October 1, 1990. As a result -of that discussion, the council took the following action: Refer to the policy and. Procedures committee that 1J there be a five-member utility adyiso~ board similar-to the Planning Commission with a Council liaison; and 2) retain the present two, four-member standing committees status; however, that the Policy and Procedures committee lOOK ~t reallocation of the responsibilities of the standing committees. St~ff returned to the Policy and Procedures committee on November 20, 1990 with a proposed ordinance creatinq a utilities Planning and Policy Advisory comuission. The committee's recommendations are scheduled to be heard by the Council on March 11, 1991. If Council endorses the recommendations, planning and policy issues related to the electric, qas, and water utilities will be referred to the new commission. CHR: 136: 91 o o paqe 2 In the statr report pre.pare.d for the May 1, 1990 Policy and Procedures Committee discussion of committee reorganization, stat! recommended tha~ two qeneral areas be removed from the charge to the Finance and Public Works committee: 1) public 'Works and 2J utilities. This recommendation ha,d re&-ulted from an analysis of the number and nature of ~he items which had been agendized for the tva standing committees during the previous 16 months. staff has continued to monitor the co:mittae.s' agendas since then and the earlier trends have continu~d. Statf again recommends that the existing committees be reorqanized as the Finance Committee and the policy and services committee~ DisouI.ion The ~xlsting Finance and Public Works Cvmmittee bears a very heavy load of financial issuas, especially with the recent City emphasis on economic development and revenue enhance1Detit~ currently, the committee deals with policy issues related to utilities and public works while the policy issues for all other city departments and servicas are referred to the Policy and Procedures Committee. Freeing the committee from the public works and utilities policy issues will enable it to concentrate tot.ally on finance issues~ polIcy issues related to public 'Works would be added to the responsibilities of the existing Policy and Procedures committee. policy issues related to the electric, qas, and water utilities ~ill be handled by tha new advisory commission, if approved by the city council.. Staff propoees. the following revisions to the charges to the two standinq committees: cowmittee on Finance. It shall be ~~e duty of the committee on Finance to consider and ;nake recommendations on matters referred. to it by the Council relatil19 to finance, budget, audits, capital planning, and debt. ~itt.ee on Pol icy and Services. :It shall be the duty of the COmmittee on Policy and Services to consider and make recomBIendatiOlls on matters referred to it by the Council releting to parliamentary and administrative procedures and policy matters pertaininq to interqovernmental relations, planninq and zoning, ~raffic and parking, public works, and community and buman services~ As with the other city departments, certain items related to public works, In wbich the central issue is fiscal, will remain with the Finance committee. For example, the committee frequently reviews and makes recommendations on the selection of consultants for public 'Works projects" Further examples would be those referrals where the issue is the method for funding public works projects. CMR: 136:U • , I .-;. .- Paqe 1 Same Council referrals related to public works, however, warrant study of theiz policy implications more than, or at least equal to, their fiscal considerations. A review of recent agendas of the Finance and Public Works committee suggests that the following public works items would have been referred to the Policy and Services cOJUIittee under the proposed revision: regional water quality control plant studies status report, storm drain enterprise fund program planning, and Barron Park streets and sidewalks. Inevitably, there will be instances where the referral of certain items will require judgment calls by the City Manager or council: is tha overri~inq issue fiscal or policy? Some items may warrant simultaneous or sequential referrals to both committees and this may create delays in Council's ultimate action on an item. This already occasionally occurs and ie: not necessarily detrimental because it allows a thorough evaluation of the policy basis for a decision as well as the fiscal basis~ Revisions to the Palo AltP Municipal Code The Council's standing committees are defined in Chapter 2.04 of the Palo Alto Municipal Code. council approval of the changes to the committees' names and responsibilities will necessitate amendment of the code~ The current ordinance is attached to this staff report for the committee's reference. Recomme-ndation Staff recommends that Council amend the Palo Alto Municipal Code to cbange t.."te COllncil's two standing committees to the Finance C~ittee and the Policy and Services committee and revise their charges as follows: It shall be the duty of tbe Committee on Finance to consider and make recommendations on Ifolltters refE:rJ':~d to it by the council relating to til'.a..'1ce, budget, audits, capital planning, and debt. It shall be the duty of the Committee on Policy and Services to consider and .ake recommend~tions on matters referred to it by the Council relating to parliamentary and administrative procedures and policy matters pertaining to intergovernmental relations, planning and ~oning, traffic and parking, public workS, and community and human services. CKR: 136:91 o Page 4 Staff vill contlnua to .onlear the workloads of th. two c~~ittee5 and will return to Council in one year with an evaluation ot tbe .uoee •• of the reallocation ot committee responsibilities. Respectfully 5~ltt.d. t!d~~- Vlcel ~~ A.sistant to e City Manoger Related etaff reports: CMR:l72'0 -~cil Sta~inq Co~ittees. 4/26/90 CMR,3S5:0 Council Sta~inq Committes& 8~pplemental Information, 6/7/90 CMR:S78.0 -utilities Plannlnq a~ Policy Advisory C" .... ission. 11/1 5 /9 0 CMR:136:91 .,-.".> .• ,' , 2.04.230 Slandins committees -Spec:b1 cDmmiltces.. (I) Not JalU thOdl the St('ond regutar meelm. or the <:ounciJ in January. the mayor shaD. appoint two SUndinJ .eommiHee5.. consistittr: of four members. eae.'" {rom the mem~ of the council. The mayor shall IppoU"it each eouncilmembeT to only one $landint committee and Sa;ai! appoint the chairman of tach com­ mittee:. The mayor, or th~ tlice mayor at the request of tJle m.iyo.r. may act as an ex offacio. 1Iotins: member cf uch committee. (b) The standin, committc6 shan be designated, respectively. com­ mittee on fmIL'] ce and public ..,orks and co;nmittet: on pol.i~ and procedures.. I1ld shaD meet at seven-thirty p.rn. in the city hal! Oil the day established by Section 2.04.240. {c) AD counciJ members snan be encotJra,ged to attend meetines or commitfees of which they ate nor membeTs. bU1 onIy C'tlmminee members or ex officio CQmmit tee members shaD Yote in committee in accordance wjth SUb.sectiOD (a) or this section. (d) 1ft addition to .standing committees the mayor may. subject to appro\'al of the council. appoint such other special committees of C'Ouncil4 members., private citizens or both III d-eemed desirable and necessary to assjst and 3dvise the city council in its work. (Ord. 3488 Ii 2 (Pm), 1983}. 2.04.240 Standing commiftee procedun:l rules. (a) Regular meeti1l.gs.. Each stamfml committe: shan meet onCf per month on 1heir desigr'dted meeting night at 5even-thl11)' p.m. at the cit)' baD. The policy and procedures committee shall mlC'e1 on the f1TSt Tuesday or each month and the rlliiUH:e and public works committee shrll meet OIl ~he second Tuesday o~ each month. When additional meetings are :oec:eswy. the chairman of uch com­ DUtlee may taD a .special meetinJ as pro";ded in SUbseCtiOD (b) of this 5ectlon. (b) Special meetinp. Special meetings or standina committlm may be caJ1ed by the dWnn"'lI with !he (:on5ent of a majority or the committee·, mftmhers. but a speciaJ IJiee1ing so c:.aDed $haD be-held at city baD, or other locations if appro'pri.ate~ and forty~ight boUTS' notice must be liven to tvety councilmember. (e) Q-oIOl\lm.. A majority of the committee memberships s..'1aD COD­ stitute a <j,uorum. (d) .Referrals. RerefTals to t1:ic: s.tanding committees s.-"an bt made by the cQl.lnciJ. Jtel1l5 may be withdrawn from the committee and tabn up ror consideration by the :"OuncU It any eouncil mectint with the consent or a majority of tlle council. (e) Function or commit1ees. The purpose and inte-nt of committee meetinJ! is to p,ovide for more thorough IiDd detailed discussio'l and study of prospective or cum"t counCl1 qenda items With I run and complete airlna: of an sentiment!. and npressions of opinion on eli)' problems b)l both the council and the pubTIc. 10 ~e end that council ~ction will be exped.ittc!. Actions oC the committee s}I.an be advisory and recomme • .,d"a.tory only. (0 Min utes.. The office or the cif)l clerk shall be-respons.ible for the prepua1ioD and distribution to the COl.mc:il of the minutes or standin, committee meetings. The min"UtlC1-need not be verbatim but s.1la.D .reflect tb~ sense of the discussion and any rC'commend,1lion made with respect to each subject considered in committee. The minules shall be delliered to an councilmembers before tbe coun~ meetin, at which the comrnittet', ~com­ mendalions 8R to be dis-cu:ssed. o (a> Report of committee. The minutes or each committee m~tWa: VulD serve as the R'port 10 !hoc C'OUndL Any member may write-.. lepaDt.e report. (h) AR<llCl .. Tho oh.tlrpenon of .. '" nan4i."1 c<>mmitt .. sholl prep'" the .1Itenda (or committn m«tinp., the se-quem:1! of study beinS. widtin reasonable-limits or practicality, :be s:tme as the seq,ueme-ofrefernI.. (i) COllduct cl' st1r1dinl commiuee me-coop,. The chairman of each ccmm.itt~ may conduci mectinp with as much informaliry as is consistent ..;th council parliamcn tary rules., ... hic:b shaD also be in effect in commilte-e meetin&!. The views of interested private-cjtizens may be heard in c0m­ mittee meetin~ but in no case shan .. c:ommiltef: meeting: be used as 1 sub­ stitute for pubtlc burin,p required by law. In the II!'Yeilt tha.~ .. c:ommittee has under study a proposal thll williate-r be subject of a required public: blW'inJ. the-committee shan make no recommendatior. unlit after the public: hearinJ, (Ord. 3488 I 2 (put), I 983}. 2.04.250 Committee on f'"11UDC'e and' public worb. It sh2D be the duty or the committ~ on fmanc;t and pubIlc worts to consider and: make recom­ men.:htions on. matters referred to it by Ole council' nL1tina: 10 public works., gtilities. (mince" budttt, appropriations, ; ... jjts~ capital improvement fund. """"'onl districts, and .. nora! obfiptioD bond issuts. (Ord. 3488 t 2 (pan), 1983}. 2.04.260 Committee DO polky and prxedu .... It sIWI be the duty or tht comm.ittee on po6c:y and procedUl"C$ to oonsider and mue-recommenda­ tiom on matters referred 10 it by the council !datina: 10 parIiarMnt.ary and .administrative ,PJ'OUdures, plannin& and! z.oninJ. traffic" snd .Parkin&. inter­ governmental relations, PilIb, tibnrieo, reaeatiDDZl foci1itios, and aD human oeni<es. (Ord. 3488 I 2 (port), 1983}.