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REPORT <br />To the Honorable Mayor and City Council <br />From the City Manager <br /> <br />April 9, 2018 <br /> <br />SUBJECT <br />Approve modifications to "A Guide to City Council Communications and Business" to <br />update provisions on City Council and City staff communications and establish <br />procedures for placing items on City Council agendas <br /> <br />RECOMMENDATION <br />By motion, approve revisions to the City Council policy entitled "A Guide to City Council <br />Communications and Business" <br /> <br />BACKGROUND <br />On November 19, 2012, the City Council adopted a document on the conduct of City <br />Council business titled “A Guide to City Council Communications and Business.” The <br />Guide describes how the City Council conducts its business, including communications <br />with staff and the conduct of City Council meetings. Staff recommends revisions to the <br />policy to clarify procedures regarding City Council and City staff communications, and to <br />establish procedures for placing items on City Council agendas. <br />ANALYSIS <br />The proposed revisions to the Guide address questions raised by City Councilmembers <br />over the last few years regarding staff communications and development of the City <br />Council agenda. The Guide adopted in 2012 included protocols regarding City Council <br />and City staff communications and the proposed revisions clarify that requests made by <br />individual Councilmembers for information or assistance must be directed to the City <br />Manager, or to the City Attorney regarding legal matters, or to the City Clerk regarding <br />matters within the City Clerk’s authority. The revisions establish that if more than one <br />hour of staff time will be required to complete the task or project, the item will be <br />agendized to ask the City Council if staff time should be spent on preparing a report on <br />the proposed item. This is a common approach in other communities, and ensures that <br />staff resources are directed by the City Council as a body. <br />The proposed revisions also provide a protocol for placing items on City Council <br />agendas. This was not part of the Guide adopted in 2012, but also is common in other <br />communities. The proposed revisions establish that the City Manager determines, in <br />6.1.D. - Page 1