Loading...
CC SS 20150818 SS2B - Earlier City Council Meeting Start and End TimeCITY OF MEMORANDUM RANCHO PALOS VLRDES TO: HONORABLE MAYOR & CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS FROM: MAYOR PRO TEM SUSAN BROOKS DATE: AUGUST 18, 2015 SUBJECT: CHANGING THE HOURS FOR CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS SO THEY WILL START AND END EARLIER TO ENHANCE TRANSPARENCY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT RECOMMENDATION: ACTION ITEM: Authorize the City Attorney to prepare amendments to the Municipal Code and the City Council Rules of Procedure so that City Council meetings will start an hour earlier and will end by 10:00 p.m. and cannot be extended past 10:30 p.m. BACKGROUND Some Municipal governments are adapting their meeting times to become more user- friendly with constituents. Flexible working hours and concerns for Senior Citizen safety have made it possible to conduct public meetings during daytime or early evening hours. Rancho Palos Verdes has a long history of prolonged meetings. For some time, I have been concerned about the length of our City Council meetings. Notwithstanding that the City Council's rules provide that the meetings are supposed to end by 11:00 p.m., with no new business after 10:00 p.m., they are often extended past these time limits. This is problematic for the City's residents, who have to wait late into the evening before their items are heard. Continuing meetings late into the night reduces community engagement and is the exact opposite of promoting transparency. Late meetings also are problematic for Members of the City Council, who need to be at their best while making important decisions for the City. Accordingly, I would like the Council to authorize the City Attorney to prepare amendments to the Municipal Code and the City Council Rules of Procedure so Council meetings will start one hour earlier at 6:00 p.m., with closed sessions and study 1 Study Session: Changing the Hours of City Council Meetings August 18, 2015 Page 2 sessions starting at 5:00 p.m., and will end by 10:00 p.m. The only possible exception could be for an urgent matter; which currently requires a super majority (4 votes) to extend the meeting. Any unfinished business can be continued by the City Council until the next City Council meeting. DISCUSSION Section 2.04.020 of the Municipal Code states that regular meetings of the City Council shall be held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at the hour of six p.m. in the council chambers. Closed sessions and study sessions may be held between six p.m. and seven p.m. Rule 3.2 of the City Council Rules of Procedure mirrors Section 2.04.020 of the Municipal Code regarding when the meetings start and also addresses the length of Council meetings. It states: "The City Council will adjourn its meetings on or before 11:00 p.m. and will not consider new business items after 10:15 p.m., unless the majority of the Council members who are present affirmatively vote either to extend the meeting after 11:00 p.m. or to consider new business after 10:15 p.m. If the meeting ends before all of the items listed on the agenda are completed, any unfinished business will be continued to the next succeeding day that is not a holiday, at a location to be determined. The City Clerk, or his or her deputy, will post notice of any continued hearing or other unfinished business, as required by law, and promptly also post such continuation on the City's website." Notwithstanding this rule, Council meetings often go past 11:00 p.m. To remedy this problem, I propose starting the meetings an hour earlier at 6:00 p.m. (with closed sessions and study sessions starting an hour earlier at 5:00 p.m.) and ending an hour earlier at 10:00 p.m. Making this change will promote the City Council's goal of being as transparent as possible, while also allowing for increased community engagement, since the meetings will start and end earlier. We can no longer ask our residents to stay past 10:00 p.m. if they want to be present for a particular Council discussion. CONCLUSION If the City Council concurs with this proposal, the Council should consider giving direction to the City Attorney this evening to amend Section 2.04.020 of the Municipal Code and Rules 3.2 and 3.6 of the Council's Rules of Procedure so that Council meetings will start and end an hour earlier. Attachments: Municipal Code Section 2.04.020 (page 3) City Council Rules of Procedure 3.2 and 3.6 (page 4) 2 2.04.020 - Regular meetings. Regular meetings of the city council shall be held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at the hour of six p.m. in the council chambers except as follows: A. When a Rancho Palos Verdes municipal election is conducted in the city on the first or third Tuesday of the month, the city council meeting shall be held on the next succeeding day which is not a holiday. B. When an official city holiday falls on the first or third Tuesday of any month, the meeting shall be held on the next succeeding day which is not a holiday. Only closed sessions and study sessions may be held between six p.m. and seven p.m. unless a regular meeting is adjourned to or a special meeting called for such time. No study session or closed session will be held during such hours unless the agenda is posted at least seventy-two hours prior to the meeting as required by Section 54954.2 of the California Government Code. No action shall be taken during any study session held between such hours unless the agenda so provides. (Ord. 375 § 1, 2002; Ord. 299 § 1, 1994; Ord. 287 § 1, 1993; Ord. 279 § 1, 1992: Ord. 240 § 1, 1989: Ord. 192 § 1, 1985: Ord. 124, 1979: Ord. 65 § 3 (part), 1975) Page 1 3 2.6 City Manager The City Manager reports to and serves at the pleasure of the City Council. The City Manager shall attend all meetings of the Council unless excused, and in his/her absence, the Deputy City Manager or Acting City Manager shall substitute. The City Manager may make recommendations and shall have the right to take part in all discussions of the Council, but shall have no vote. The duties of the City Manager are set forth in Chapter 2.08 of the Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code The City Manager shall ensure that staff maintains and implements the policies and direction of the Council in an open and transparent manner. 2.7 City Attorney The City Attorney reports to and serves at the pleasure of the City Council. The City Attorney shall attend all meetings of the Council unless excused, and in his/her absence, the City Attorney shall make arrangements for a qualified substitute attorney. The City Attorney, upon request, shall give opinions, either written or oral, on questions of law and shall act as the Council's parliamentarian. 2.8 City Clerk The City Clerk or his/her designee shall attend all meetings of the Council unless excused by the City Manager, and in her/his absence, the Deputy City Clerk shall substitute. The City Clerk shall record, prepare and maintain the official record of the Council and perform other related duties as prescribed by the Council and/or City Manager. 2.9 Deputy City Manager/Department Heads/Employees The Deputy City Manager, Department Heads and other city employees, as directed by the City Manager, shall attend Council meetings. 3. TYPES OF MEETINGS 3.1 Public Meetings All meetings (except closed sessions as provided by State law) of the Council shall be open to the public. 3.2 Regular Meetings — Municipal Code Section (MC §) 2.04.020 The City Council shall meet in the City Council Chambers located at Fred Hesse Community Park, 29301 Hawthorne Boulevard, for all regular meetings. Regular meetings of the City Council shall be held on the first and third Tuesday of each month at the hour of 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers except as follows: 1. When a Rancho Palos Verdes municipal election is conducted in the City on the first or third Tuesday of any month, the meeting shall be held on the next succeeding day that is not a holiday. 2. When an official City holiday falls on the first or third Tuesday of any month, the meeting shall be held on the next succeeding day that is not a holiday. Only closed sessions and study sessions may be held between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., unless a regular meeting is adjourned to, or a special meeting is called for, such time. No study session or closed session will be held during such hours 1744416.1 -2- El unless the agenda is posted at least seventy-two hours prior to the meeting as required by Government Code Section 54954.2. The City Council will adjourn its meetings on or before 11:00 p.m. and will not consider new business items after 10:15 p.m., unless the majority of the Council members who are present affirmatively vote either to extend the meeting after 11:00 p.m. or to consider new business after 10:15 p.m. If the meeting ends before all of the items listed on the agenda are completed, any unfinished business will be continued to the next succeeding day that is not a holiday, at a location to be determined. The City Clerk, or his or her deputy, will post notice of any continued hearing or other unfinished business, as required by law, and promptly also post such continuation on the City's website. 3.3 Adjourned Meetings - MC § 2.04.030 Any meeting of the City Council may be adjourned to a later date, place and time, provided no adjournment is for a longer period than the next regularly scheduled meeting. 3.4 Special Meetings - MC § 2.04.040 Special meetings may be called by the Mayor or by a majority of the Council members. The notice for a special meeting must specify the subject(s) to be considered. In accordance with Government Code Section 54956, twenty-four hours notice must be given prior to the meeting; only the matters specified in the notice may be discussed at special meetings. 3.5 Closed Session Meetings — MC § 2.04.050 Closed (or executive) sessions may be held in accordance with the provisions of the Brown Act. The City Attorney shall attend all closed sessions either in person or telephonically, unless his or her performance is being reviewed. Closed sessions shall be presided over by the Mayor, or the Mayor Pro Tem in the Mayor's absence, with the presentation of information by the City Attorney and/or City Manager and City Staff with discussion and decisions by the City Council, in accordance with the provisions of the Brown Act. 3.6 Study Sessions The City Council shall hold a regularly scheduled and agendized Study Session between 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm at the second regularly scheduled monthly City Council meeting. The Council also may meet for special Study Sessions called by the Mayor or the majority of the Council members. Study Sessions are open to the public, are considered "meetings" for the purposes of the Brown Act and will be video recorded and posted on the City's website. The primary purpose of the Study Session is to provide an opportunity for the Council members to interact freely and informally, ask questions and discuss policy items that are listed on the agenda for that specific Study Session. The City Council will also provide direction to Staff regarding upcoming agenda items and tentative agendas, including prioritization of agenda items that are listed on the agenda for that specific study session. No action shall be taken during any Study Session unless the agenda so provides. If a Council member wishes to have the City Council prioritize an agenda item that he or she has raised previously as a future agenda item, then the Council member shall submit to the City Manager a one to 1744416.1 -3- �y two page memorandum briefly describing the proposed agenda item, including the requested action and the rationale and facts supporting the agenda item by the deadline when items are to be submitted for inclusion in the agenda packet for the Study Session. Once that memorandum is submitted to the City Council, the City Council will prioritize the item for placement on a future agenda, in accordance with the procedure discussed above. 3.7 Media Attendance Except for closed sessions, all meetings of the City Council and City Boards, Committees and Commissions shall be open to the media, and may be recorded by tape, radio, television, or photography, provided such recordings do not interfere with the orderly conduct of the meetings. All City Council meetings, except for closed sessions, shall be televised and broadcast live during the meeting whenever possible and in accordance with the City's contract with the company providing broadcast services; a replay shall be broadcast on the governmental access channel at least one time during the seven (7) day period following the meeting. Archived recordings of Council meetings shall be maintained by the City Clerk's office for a period of not less than 30 years. 3.8 Recess Once every hour and one-half, or as Council business permits, the Council shall recess for a period of time specified by the Mayor. 3.9 Redevelopment Successor Agency and Improvement Authority Business Unless otherwise directed by the City Council, upon adjournment of the City Council meeting held on the first Tuesday of each month, the City Council will meet as the Successor Agency to the Rancho Palos Verdes Redevelopment Agency and then as the Rancho Palos Verdes Improvement Authority. 3.10 Civic and Other Events If a quorum or more of the Members of the City Council will attend an event where City business will be discussed, Council Members shall notify the City Attorney and either the City Clerk or City Manager so that the event can be noticed as a City Council meeting, in accordance with the provisions of the Brown Act, if required under the Brown Act as determined by the City Attorney. This Section is not intended to expand the application of the Brown Act to social, ceremonial or other occasions that are set forth in Government Code Section 54952.2. City expenditure for other invited guests (as permitted by State law) must be approved by the City Council at a regularly scheduled City Council meeting that is held in advance of the event. 4. DUTIES OF THE MAYOR 4.1 Election of the Mayor The Mayor is a member of the City Council and is annually elected by majority vote of the City Council at the first regular meeting in December or, in the case of an election year, upon certification of the election results. The Mayor serves as Mayor at the pleasure of the City Council. As a member of the City Council, the Mayor shall have all the powers of a member. 1744416.1 -4- u