AgdaPkt 2018-04-09 Joint SA PFA - Laserfiche WebLink

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ATTY/POLICIES/A GUIDE TO CITY COUNCIL COMMUNICATIONS & BUSINESS REV: 01/10/2018 Page 8 of 13 3. If the item is not an appeal, then the applicant will have ten minutes to make a presentation followed by public comment. 4. If the item is an appeal, then time shall be provided for one representative on both sides of the appeal to make a presentation. Absent unusual circumstances in the judgment of the Presiding Officer, each side shall have ten minutes to make a presentation on the appeal. The appellant shall go first, then the applicant, and then individuals may make public comment. 5. Where the appellant is the applicant, the appellant-applicant may make a ten (10) minute presentation after the staff report, and public comment on the matter shall follow. 6. In case there are two or more appellants, the time allowed for presentation shall be a total of twenty (20) minutes divided among all appellants. In no event will an individual appellant be given less than five (5) minutes for presentation. 7. In some cases, a designated spokesperson(s) appears on behalf of an individual or a group to present the case of the applicant or appellant. Because the applicant and/or appellant is given more time than others, applicants and appellants should not additionally speak during public comment, regardless of whether the applicant or appellant spoke or whether represented by a spokesperson, on the item so as to avoid the inequity of some parties obtaining more time than others. A party may have more than one spokesperson such as the applicant and an attorney or an attorney and an engineer, and they may all speak but within the total time allotted to that one party. B. Public Comment. The General Rules for all public comment apply (see above). C. Rules of Evidence Do Not Apply. The City Council and its subordinate agencies as well as staff are not partisans on any side of any land use dispute but are charged with making decisions in the best interests of the entire City after weighing all input, and this process is a means of addressing divergent community interests. Accordingly, the rules of evidence and other such legal procedures do not apply. D. Ex Parte Communications. Constituents have a reasonable expectation that they may engage their elected officials on matters of community concern such as land use matters which are often controversial. However, interested persons also have a right to know what a Council Member considers as supporting information in making certain decisions and may feel that the proceeding was not fair when a public official has ex parte communications (communications that occur outside of a public hearing) on a matter that is before or likely to come before the City Council. The City Council wishes to balance its commitment to transparency in government and its obligation to provide a fair process. Accordingly, the following are suggested as best practices: 6.1.D. - Page 10