11/12/2003 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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SPECIAL COUNCIL WORK SESSION NOVEMBER 12, 2003 APPROVED Elected officials shall not attend staff meetings, meetings between staff and • developers or between staff and residents unless invited by staff. • Elected officials who are assigned as liaisons to City Boards shall limit their communications to an exchange of information and not communicate personal or Council opinions. Elected officials may not threaten staff members implicitly or explicitly for failing requests that deviate from established policy guidelines. Threats will be reported immediately to the city administrator who will make this aware to the rest of the City Council. Elected officials will not use public meetings as opportunities to retaliate against, criticize, or berate city staff through derogatory comments and innuendo or by asking questions that require advance preparation or could have been answered before the meeting. The Mayor and other Council Members have an obligation to intervene immediately when this type of behavior occurs. City Council members shall treat each other with respect. City staff members cannot use public meetings as opportunities to criticize or berate elected officials. The Mayor or other City Council Members will intervene immediately if this type of behavior occurs. If Council Members observe or receive reports of inappropriate behavior by city staff members, they should document the observed or reported behavior to the city administrator. The city administrator or designee will investigate the allegation and prepare a written report of findings and conclusions to the City Council, including any remedial or disciplinary action. Relationships with Boards and Commissions Council Member attendance at board meetings is discouraged unless as a liaison to a board. The mere presence of an elected official has an impact on the perceptions of the board members, staff members and members of the public and affects the interaction among them. It also exposes the Council Member to questions and requests for comments. Even when an elected official intends answers and comments to be construed as personal opinion, it is nearly impossible for others to separate the personal role from the elected one. Communication All official communication concerning City Business or meeting schedules should be funneled through the city administrator or appropriate designee. The Council reviewed the suggestions from Councilmember Carlson's draft of the guidelines. It was noted that the whole section regarding voting was deleted from the draft based on a recommendation from the City Attorney. The City Attorney had • indicated that following the suggested changes, the first draft of the proposed guidelines would be consistent with: United States Constitution, Minnesota Constitution, Minnesota