12/08/2003 Council Minutes (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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COUNCIL MINUTES DECEMBER 8, 2003 APPROVED • 90 guidelines. She indicated she felt very strongly about conflict of interest; however the Mayor cleared 91 that up. She stated she also has a problem with the guideline concerning Boards and Commissions, 192 which read 'Even when an elected official intends answers and comments to be construed as personal 193 opinion, it is nearly impossible for others to separate the personal role from the elected one.' She 194 stated personally she believes their Boards and Commissions are smarter than that. She indicated she 195 believes it belittles them to think otherwise. 196 197 Dahl stated in her opinion the guidelines go into way too much detail. She advised she contacted 198 other cities to see what their guidelines are like, and they do not go into this much detail. She stated 199 she thinks this is totally disrespectful, and feels if you respect yourself you do not conduct yourself 200 that way. She noted there is also a set of guidelines from her and Councilmember Carlson, which 201 they hoped would be incorporated into these, but were not at all. She stated she will not vote for this. 202 203 Councilmember Carlson stated that the letter from Duke Addicks says they should state which 204 guidelines a Councilmember is not in agreement with. She asked if she voted no, that would cover it 205 or if she had to be specific. 206 207 Mayor Bergeson indicated he read that to relate not to how a Councilmember would vote on the 208 guidelines, but how they would conduct themselves going forward, and if a Councilmember is going 209 to do something that would be perceived as in conflict with the guidelines, to state why. 210 211 City Attorney Sullivan stated that a no vote makes her intentions clear. He indicated the idea is to put 212 the public on notice of your intentions, and a no vote would accomplish that. •13 214 Mayor Bergeson indicated they have spent most of the discussion time here trying to find fault with 215 the document. He believes they should step back and see what they are trying to accomplish. He 216 stated they are trying to set ethical guidelines which most professional groups have; a code of ethics. 217 He indicated this is not about Data Practices, and it has changed over time, but he believes the 218 document has changed for the better as they have worked on it. He stated it has been edited and re - 219 edited and now it is time for action. He indicated they did receive responses from the City Attorney 220 and the League of Minnesota Cities and they found nothing wrong with the document. He feels it is 221 disturbing that a City Councilmember would not want to support this. He stated they could nit pick 222 the language for months, but he thinks they need to put it in place. 223 224 Councilmember Dahl stated they already have guidelines that they paid a consultant to prepare in 225 1999. She indicated it was pushed out of sight until Councilmember Carlson reminded them about it, 226 and the other two City Councilmembers may not have known they even existed. 227 228 Councilmember Carlson stated there are additional comments from the League of Minnesota Cities 229 that add to her concern. She indicated the comments go to the point that if two members can call a 230 meeting, they should be able to place an item on the agenda. She read the rules surrounding the Open 231 Meeting law, noting the fine for violation. 232 233 Kim Sullivan, 7132 Whipperwillow Lane, indicated it is very obvious that the City Council is always 234 bound by the laws of the State and ordinances of the City. Her comment is why any City Council 235 would not support these ethical guidelines. She stated that she believes all are aware there have been •36 requests by the City Council that have been very cumbersome to Staff, often way beyond what would 5