09/17/2003 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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SPECIAL COUNCIL WORK SESSION SEPTEMBER 17, 2003 APPROVED Councilmember Carlson stated she does not know if the guidelines comply. She stated • she wants the City Attorney to review them as soon as possible. • • Councilmember O'Donnell stated he believes the Council needs to agree on the guidelines before the City Attorney reviews them. He stated he wanted a starting point and would like to review them and revise them if necessary. Councilmember Carlson asked who wrote the proposed guidelines. Councilmember O'Donnell stated the guidelines were written by a combination of himself, the League of Minnesota Cities and City staff. He noted the proposed guidelines are not directed at any current Councilmembers. His hope is to have the guidelines adopted and in place for future City Councils. Council reviewed the proposed guidelines and made the following changes: Role/Responsibilities Meetings By Charter, the Mayor presides over City Council meetings. Speakers, including Councilmembers, do not speak until recognized by the Mayor. Preparation Councilmembers are expected to be prepared for City Council meetings. Mayor Bergeson added that sometimes Councilmembers may ask staff questions that staff is not prepared to answer. He stated that he believes Councilmembers should get information they need from staff prior to the meeting. Councilmember Reinert added that all information needs to be requested through the proper procedure and proper timeline. He also stated that all Councilmembers should be notified if another Councilmember requests additional materials. It was determined that the issue of Councilmembers requesting additional information from staff will be addressed in the "Relationship to City Staff' section of the proposed guidelines. Agenda Preparation The City Administrator directs preparation of draft meeting agendas. The final agenda is determined by consensus of the City Council prior to the meeting. At the City Council meeting, agenda items may be added or deleted by Councilmembers or City staff upon approval of the City Council. It was noted that the "approval" method would be clearly defined by staff and/or the City Attorney, based on the established rules and regulations.