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<br />January 30, 2002 <br /> <br />To: City Council <br />City Manager _ <br /> <br />From: Council Member SChroeder~ <br />Council Member Kough v[ 14, k.~ <br /> <br />RE: Rules and Procedures clarification <br /> <br />Over the past week, Mr. Klausing has raised issues concerning the Rules and <br />Procedures that were passed by the council on January 7th, 2002. <br /> <br />Rule 10 reads as follows: "The Mayor shall review and select one or more <br />members to serve as liaisons to outside boards, associations, or joint powers <br />organizations. The Mayor shall make all appointments to Council subcommittees <br />or task forces except as specified by law or ordinance. Selections may be <br />rejected by the full Council within 30 day~ of appointment." <br /> <br />In our opinion, since the rule states that the Mayor "shall make all appointments <br />to Council subcommittees or task forces," logic dictates that the Mayor also has <br />establishment authority. The check and balance is the ability of the full Council <br />to reject appointments within 30 days. If we do not approve of the subcommittee <br />or task force, we can reject all of the appointments, rendering the subcommittee <br />or taskforce non-functioning. <br /> <br />Rule 3 reads as follows: "The Mayor, with the assistance of the City Manager, <br />shall be responsible for the selection of the items on agenda and shall <br />reasonably accommodate the members of the council and community." <br /> <br />In our opinion, we believe that logic must prevail, and the Mayor should be <br />allowed to do his job. As such, the Mayor is well within his scope of authority <br />under this rule, to establish deadlines so staff can keep the agenda process on <br />schedule. It is also reasonable that the Mayor (after possible attorney <br />consultation) would only place items on the agenda that are relevant to city <br />business and do not violate state or federal laws. The Mayor is also within his <br />scope to delay agenda requests to allow adequate time for staff research. We <br />expect that all requests be directed to the Mayor, be clearly stated, and with <br />desired outcomes identified. Finally, throughout the process, the Mayor should <br />be respectful, and keep the requesting member informed on the status of their <br />issue. <br /> <br />We believe it is time to move on, find some common ground to work from, and <br />deal with the cities business. <br />