BOOK 26_1955-11-28 to 1957-06-17

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a 365 size of the City. -in question•and those portions of the article that deal with complaints of citizens gleaned at coffee breaks. The real important facets of the article which are applicable to any and all circumstances, the points which prompted me to call attention to that article has been missed by our city manager. What I am concerned with and about is the lack of information on many important topics that are brought before the council. It is my concept of the city manager form of Government that it is the duty of the city manager to explore and provide background and factual information on all questions before the council is to decide a given question and not after; further that the city manager should exercise his prerogative to make studies and submit suggestions to us in writing, without being called upon to do so, some days before an open meeting is held, such action is vital especially on the many highly important and complex problems that we are frequently faced w ith. To point up the validity of my thinking, I which to call attention excerpts that I quote from documents which I have with me for you examination if desired. Quoting from proceedings Mayorts and Councilments Institute, Monterey, May 24, 1956• 'After all the non -essentials have been pruned, the bulk of work which remains for the council vrill still seem hopeless of accomplishment unless adequate preliminary staff work is done and unless a certain mental discipline in "problem probing" is achieved. !The first of these two requisites may be the easier to come by. Though the adminis- trative staff of a city is charged with carrying out the policies of government which the city council shall determine, it is also the duty of the staff to investigate each of the possible alternatives in a given situation and present to the council for its consideration a careful summary of the advantages, disadvantages, implications, and estimate costs of each. Such investigations may include the study of similar practices in other cities, the preparation of comparative summaries of their evaluations of results, and fiscal analyses which are both accurate and thorough - the 'iwhy", "how," !'when", and "how much1' of municipal administration. It is the duty of the council to be certain that such staff work is done thoroughly and competently and to assimilate and understand the material so presented. Councilmen who are assisted by conscientious and punctual administrators are not forced to waste valuable conference time in speculation.2 Quoting from Handbook for Councilmen in Council -Manager Cities - Page 10 - "The formal and regular council meeting is conducted according to an agenda generally prepared by the City clerk based largely on information supplied by the manager. Any member of the of the council may submit items for the agenda and all items of business should appear upon it. The clerk should send notices of the meeting and the agenda to each councilman a day or so before each meeting. The agenda should be complete on each improtant item, giving background facts, and the manager's recommendations and reasoning when pertinent. By studying the agenda and attached reports in advance, the councilman may save time and assist the decision-making processes as well as dignify and streamline the council meeting. Page 11 - "The council can usually expect to have citizens appear at the meeting to discuss administrative problems which have not previously been brought to the attention of the manager. • If the council wishes to conduct an orderly session of reasonable length and to take action on the problems only when all the relevant facts have been assembled, such matters will, be referred to the manager for invetigation to be reported on at the next meeting. Gentlemen - I honestly believe that vie are fast approaohing.the crossroads - either we have a city manager form of government or the council must assume and devote the necessary time for proper administration. As the city manager states Redwood City is not a community comparable in size to .Greeley, Colorado, we are having growing pains, but we must start acting as grown ups. In other words do domething we must if we.are to avoid a complete breakdown of our system or lack of system. We just can not stand by in the hopes that we may be bailed out by additional rrevenues such as the proposed sales tax. VTe need more constructive steps to safeguard against the possible waste of any future revenue from whatever•source. It is my belief that we must be bold and break away from our present faltering, piece -meal approach and methods; we must chart a course•that is foresighted, courageous and in conformity with modern day practices. To resolve the matter properly, I offer the suggestions that the Mayor arragne for one or more exploratory sessions at the earliest possible date. Louis Weiss, Councilman. Councilman Granger stated that he was of the opinion that when the City has sufficient funds that they could put on the payroll additional personnel to take care of the problems which Councilman Weiss outlines. This was followed by discussion. Councilman Stout moved that the City Manager's report be accepted and filed and Councilman:PTeiss' report be placed in the records for future consideration, seconded by Councilman Weiss who amended the motion,that the Council hold a study meeting to take this matter under consideration for budget study. Councilman Weiss's amendment to the motion lost•for lack of a second and the original. motion carried.