Laserfiche WebLink
<br />Special Session of the City Council: <br />Saturday, 02/19/05, Cedarholm Golf Course Clubhouse, <br />2323 Hamline Avenue North, Roseville, MN <br />Page 18 of 21 <br /> <br />son for the city. He said he did not favor such a rule, feeling <br />that councilmembers have a important role to comment on <br />city issues. <br /> <br />Councilmember Maschka indicated that in an emergency or <br />when there is a high profile situation, it was important for the <br />Mayor alone to comment publicly in order to send a consistent <br />message to the community. <br /> <br />Councilmember Ihlan agreed but only as to emergency re- <br />sponse type situations, stating that otherwise councilmem- <br />bers had a duty to comment publicly on city issues in order to <br />represent their constituents. <br /> <br />Councilmember Schroeder agreed, but questioned how or <br />where do you draw the line between the two types of issues. <br /> <br />Mayor Klausing noted that this subject did not lend itself to a <br />rule. <br /> <br />Council Interaction with Staff <br /> <br />e.) Mayor Klausing asked the Council how they felt about the <br />way they communicated with staff. He noted that state law <br />requires the Council to act and give direction as a body and <br />not as individual councilmembers. He noted the potential for <br />contradictory direction when individual councilmembers give <br />direction to staff. <br /> <br />Councilmember Kough asked if individual councilmembers <br />could direct staff to attend meetings. Mayor Klausing stated <br />that councilmembers could ask but not direct staff to attend <br />meetings, and that asking meant that the answer might be <br />no, depending on reasons such as staff's schedule. <br /> <br />Councilmember Schroeder stated that the Council, as a <br />Council, could direct the City Manager; that he was the em- <br />ployee they hired and could control but that they had to do so <br />as a Council. He urged more dialogue between staff and indi- <br />vidual councilmembers so that scheduling or other problems <br />could be resolved. <br /> <br />Councilmember Ihlan agreed that the Council as a body di- <br />rected the staff respecting policy issues, but she noted that <br />individual councilmembers were free to request information <br /> <br />18 <br />