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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/17/2003 Council Minutes• • SPECIAL COUNCIL WORK SESSION APPROVED DATE TIME STARTED TIME ENDED MEMBERS PRESENT MEMBERS ABSENT Staff members present: None CITY OF LINO LAKES MINUTES SEPTEMBER 17, 2003 : September 17, 2003 . 5:42 p.m. . 6:46 p.m. : Council Members Carlson, Dahl, O'Donnell, Reinert and Mayor Bergeson : None Mayor Bergeson advised there is one item on the agenda this evening. At approximately 6:45 p.m. the Council will adjourn and move to a Countywide Legislative Meeting. He stated the purpose of the special work session is to discuss Council Roles and Responsibilities. Councilmember O'Donnell advised he would like to discuss some proposed guidelines for this Council and for future City Councils. The goal is to look at the proposed guidelines and possibly adopt them by resolution at a future Council meeting. He stated he previously distributed a draft of the proposed guidelines and hopes all Councilmembers have reviewed them. He indicated the Council would review each guideline and revise them if necessary. Councilmember Dahl advised she had e-mailed Administration Director Tesch regarding this issue. She read the e-mail, noting she had asked if the City Attorney had reviewed the proposed guidelines. Administration Director Tesch had responded by indicating that the City Attorney would become involved if the Council adopts the guidelines. Councilmember O'Donnell stated he discussed this issue with the League of Minnesota Cities. He stated he is very much in support of the City Attorney reviewing the guidelines if the Council intends to adopt the guidelines. Councilmember Carlson asked if the proposed guidelines are consistent with the United States Constitution and various other documents, including the Lino Lakes City Charter. She stated it is clear to her that some of the proposed guidelines do violate by-laws of various documents. She stated she would like the proposed guidelines to be reviewed by the City Attorney after the meeting this evening, before they are adopted. She stated she would also like to know if the guidelines should be in the form of a resolution or an ordinance. Mayor Bergeson stated staff would have the City Attorney review the proposed guidelines after the Council agrees on the guidelines. 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. SPECIAL COUNCIL WORK SESSION SEPTEMBER 17, 2003 APPROVED Mayor Bergeson noted Councilmembers need to be aware of staff's schedule and should try to add agenda items for work sessions by noon on Monday, prior to the Council work session. Attendance Council Members who are unable to attend a scheduled meeting should contact the City Administrator, Mayor or Administration Director. Votes Councilmember Carlson distributed a list of proposed guidelines she drafted. She referred to the section regarding "Conflict of Interest" in regard to voting. The paragraph relating to "Votes" was revised as follows: Elected Officials will abstain from voting when there is a real conflict of interest defined by the following: 1. A Council Member who has a conflict, as determined by law, will not vote. 2. A Councilmember who has a self-interest in a Council decision should abstain from participating in the council discussion and from voting on said issue(s). Furthermore, a Council Member who is perceived to have a conflict of interest shall disclose said conflict and follow advice of the City Attorney. City Council Work Sessions Purpose The purpose of work sessions are to discuss active city projects and current business, as well as to review the upcoming City Council meeting agenda items. Work sessions are times for City Councilmembers to ask questions and discuss upcoming agenda items. Although Council can give direction to staff, no formal council votes / decisions are to be taken at work sessions. It was determined that the Council would discuss the definitions of the terms "votes" and "decisions" at a later date. Agendas The Council determined this paragraph would be deleted because this issue has already been covered. • Councilmember O'Donnell stated he would like to schedule another meeting to discuss the proposed guidelines further. SPECIAL COUNCIL WORK SESSION SEPTEMBER 17, 2003 APPROVED • Councilmember Reinert suggested the Council discuss the proposed guidelines again after the regular work session tomorrow evening. Mayor Bergeson requested Councilmembers bring their calendars to the meeting tomorrow evening to schedule another special work session to discuss the proposed goals. The meeting was adjourned at 6:46 p.m. These minutes were considered, corrected and approved at the regular Council meeting held on October 13, 2003. Ann Blairs City Clerk Transcribed by: Kim Points TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc. • • 4 John Bergeson, Mayor