HomeMy WebLinkAbout#26 Meeting Minutes-n|cCITY oF
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MAYOR AND COUNCIL COMMUNICATION,
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Council K4iouteodeioi|
Clark Schroeder
Clark Schroeder
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SUGGESTED ORDER OF BUSINESS:
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- Introduction of lbnn......................... ......................................................................... Staff
- Report/Presentation .......................... —.................. ................ --- ... —................... Staff
- Questions from Council hnStaff .......................... ....... ......................... Mayor Facilitates
- Public Input, If /\opropriate........... ................................................. ... Mayor Facilitates
- Call for Motion ...... ....................... ............................................... Mayor 6tCity Council
- Discussion ........................ ...... ............... ................. —.............. Mayor &City Council
- Action on Motion ................. ................................ ............................. Mayor FaoUbates
PUBLIC POLICY STATEMENT TVHAT LEVEL OF DETAIL SflOULD_THE CITY CLERK PUT
INTO THE MINUTES
SUMMARY AND ACTION RE OUE5TED:
The Interim City Administrator has noted apa8erno[council members wishing to add detailed verbiage
0othe minutes ioreflect their thoughts and position Concerning the SUbject u1hand. ltisnot considered
u\nndun| practice to detail Out discussion in minutes for City Council nnooi|ogs. The sununnury of the
motion and the recording of the vote thereof is at the discretion of the City Clerk.
BACKGROUND AND STAFF REPORT:
According to The Minute Takers Handbook for Local Government
Minutes provide an ongoing record of Council decisions,. In particular, the minutes constitute a
brief, but formal record of:
^ the Councils resolutions in relation to the business discussed at the meeting (i.e. the decisions
made);
- the action that is required to be undertaken by the Council's administration following the
meeting
(indeed.they form the legal basis for and authorise such acdon); and
^ those present atameeting and the formalities that have occurred,
For this reason it is vital that the minutes are accurate and complete.
Minutes also promote transparency in Local Government decision making and for this raaoon,
are frequently referred tobymembers ofthe public.
Importantly, minutes are not mtranscript ufthe meeting. They must record certain procedural
matters, what decisions were made and why, but need not and should not provide a word for
word account cfwhat has been said.
According bothe LK8C
Generally, the clerk has wide discretion os\o \)on to keep the Minutes, A vnrhadrn rccno] n[cvcrythi
not normally required. However, in any case where the law orcharter requires u verbatim record, usiu� n Lo
instead o[aCourt reporter toaccomplish that objective ioprobably valid.
Minutes should bcwritten in language average people call understand. Reference tonumbers o[ordinances r
and other matters ShOUld include a brief description of their Subject matter.
According tonnarticle in Minnesota Cities (Jan-Fnh%O13'p.1B)
State law requires meeting minutes, otaminimum, toinclude the following: the subject
matter of a motion; the making and seconding a motion; the roll call vote on a motion;
whether a motion was defeated or adopted; the character of resolutions and ordinances,
including a brief description of their subject matter; and the votes of each councilmember on
each appropriation of money, except for the payments of judgments, claims, and amounts
fixed bystatute.
The Office ofthe The State Auditor for Minnesota states the following.
Beyond these statutory requirements, the decision regarding how elaborate or extensive the
minutes should be is within a governing body's discretion. The amount of detail which is
appropriate for inclusion in the minutes is likely to vary, depending on the nature of the
proceedings and the subject matter involved. The minutes need not record the discussions of
the members and others, or information relating to the process by which a decision is made.
Moreover, the minutes should not be cluttered with unnecessary detail that could hamper
efforts to review or otherwise use the minutes at a later date. in addition, the minutes should
never reflect the clerk's nrsecretary's opinion onanything said ordone.
h!tp://wwvv.auditor.state.mnus/other/Statements/meetinyMinutes 0710 statement.odf
RECOMME NDATION:
The Interim City Administrator reonmuomoodu that council minutes provide u summary of
proceedings and only errors be brought to the attention of the City Clerh.
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