06/09/2004 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Search

minutes are an account of the actions of that body, including comments of individuals is not essential for the public record. Therefore, it is being suggested that the Council consider a change in the contents of the - minutes and having them prepared intemally. The new structure of the minutes would be: 1) a description of the issue, 2) any request or direction of the council outside of the action, and 3) the formal action of the council. If the Council feels that it is important for the minutes to reflect individual council member's positions on issues,.a roll call vote could be taken on all issues or upon request, which would be included in the minutes. The original audio or videotape of each meeting would remain as a verbatim record of the meeting. As part of this change in written minutes, staff would institute the practice of having duplicate audio or videotapes of the meetings available to the public and council members for their review or purchase. The advantages and disadvantages of the proposed change are as follows: Advantages Increase in accuracy of minutes due to staffs technical understanding of topics. Saving of time at meetings dealing with changes and corrections. Savings of $20,000 annually for contracted services. Better utilization of staff time. (Staff presently expends time reviewing draft minutes and at times has to listen to or view tapes to clarify the minutes and verify suggested changes.) Disadvantages Staff has to allocate time to perform the task. Council Action: Direct staff as to whether minutes should be prepared internally and limited in contents, or continue to be prepared as they presently are.