Proposed Amendments to Agenda and Committees Ordinance

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Ann Kitchen
Posts: 294
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2015 4:04 pm

Proposed Amendments to Agenda and Committees Ordinance

Post by Ann Kitchen »

Hi All

Council has benefited from the community’s thoughtful and creative ideas to improve the proposal for changes to council agenda processes and committee structure.

I've attached a document with the initial ideas for taking advantage of these comments to improve the proposed ordinance. This is for discussion at the Work Session tomorrow - please post any additional ideas / comments /changes you would like to discuss. This will be our chance to think through and discuss all the great ideas we have received from the community.

In addition, there were many creative ideas for improving public engagement processes - for example to improve the availability of information and provide easier ways to provide comment. Consideration of many of these ideas could be added to charge for the Public Engagement Task Force.

http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... AE1180D.pd
Ann Kitchen
Council Member District 5
Ann Kitchen
Posts: 294
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2015 4:04 pm

Re: Proposed Amendments to Agenda and Committees Ordinance

Post by Ann Kitchen »

Everyone

For some reason I can't get the attachment to post - so I'm cutting and pasting the information into this document. Hopefully this won't be too difficult to read!

ORDINANCE RELATING TO COUNCIL MEETINGS AND AGENDAS
IMPROVEMENTS PROPOSED BY PUBLIC COMMENTS
FOR AMENDMENT AND/OR DISCUSSION

Council has benefited from the community’s thoughtful and creative ideas to improve the proposal for changes to council agenda processes and committee structure. The following are initial ideas for taking advantage of these comments to improve the proposed ordinance.

In addition, there were many creative ideas for improving public engagement processes - for example to improve the availability of information and provide easier ways to provide comment. Consideration of many of these ideas could be added to charge for the Public Engagement Task Force.

1. Add language clarifying that public testimony and other information follows item from City Board, to Council Committee to full Council

§ 2-5-105 Committee Meetings
Replace (D)(4) with:
(D) The chair of a committee shall preside over each meeting, and, in consultation with other committee members, and with the assistance of staff, shall:
. . .
“(4) prepare the Final Committee Report which shall include any reports, resolutions, and other documents created by the committee; any City Board Report; public written and oral testimony; minutes, and transcripts or video of proceedings.”

§ 2-5-108 Committee Actions
Add a new subsection (C) which states:
“(C) The city clerk, upon instruction from a committee, shall post publicly and send a Final Committee Report to the council, City board, or another council committee when taking an any action under (B) or when taking no action on an item.”

§ 2-5-26 Agenda for Council Meetings
Add a new subsection (C)(5) which states:
“(5) include the Final Committee Report in the back-up information for each draft agenda item that was reviewed by a council committee”

Add to the list of items in (E)(3): “City Board reports, any public written and oral testimony” These are the items that should be included when four councilmembers place an item directly on the council agenda.


2. Consider and/or add language clarifying the subject matter and joint operations of council committees

Add to Section 2-5-103(A), the ability of council committees to create subcommittees: “Council committees may create subcommittees to address policy matters, upon a vote of a majority of the committee members”.

Add to 2-5-103(B)(1): “internal services, city clerk”

Add to 2-5-103(B)(2): “taxation”

Add to 2-5-103 (B)(3): “land use as concerns mobility”.

Add to 2-5-103 (B)(8): “mobility as concerns land use.”

Add to 2-5-103(B)(9): “cemeteries”

Add to 2-5-103 (B)(10): “mobility as concerns housing, land use as concerns housing”

Add to 2-5-26 (D) (3) language stating that the Mayor may assign items to more than one committee, acting jointly or sequentially to address the item, together with a request from the Mayor to the committee chairs to coordinate.

Discuss reorganizing the Mobility and the Planning and Neighborhoods Committee to coordinate mobility and land use by replacing these committees with the following:

The Land Use and Mobility Strategic Planning Committee may address strategic planning related to the City’s comprehensive plan, the land development code, neighborhood planning, development processes, design and related matters, and related transportation planning for all modes of transportation including Lone Star Rail and high speed rail.

The Neighborhoods, Land Use, and Mobility Committee may review issues related to land use such as noise, zoning, annexations, eminent domain, landmark review, and issues related to transportation including roads, sidewalks, bicycle programs, ground transportation, taxicab regulation, core transit corridors, and related matters.

3. Add language clarifying that committee meetings must be posted and open to the public.

Add to 2-5-105(A) the following: “or to meet as a group with third parties”


4. Add language clarifying that the same rules for posting agenda and backup materials apply to committees.

Add to 2-5-105(A): “The agenda and backup materials for a council committee meeting must be posted in the same manner as a meeting of the full council.”

5. Add language clarifying the council’s role in preparing the agenda.

Add to 2-5-26(A): “The city manager in consultation with the Mayor, shall:”

6. Provide flexibility for registration location for testifying at a council meeting

Delete from 2-5-29(B): “located in the City Hall lobby”

7. Add language to clarify the committees’ actions with regard to zoning and minority and women-owned businesses

Add to 2-5-108 a new subsection (D): “With respect to zoning matters addressed by the Planning and Neighborhoods Committee, the committee shall attempt to determine disputed facts, identify policy issues in controversy, and allow for mediation as appropriate.

Add to 2-5-108 a new subsection (E): “The Economic Opportunity Committee will provide an update to the city council semi-annually on progress towards the city’s minority and women’ owned business contracting goals.”

8. Add notice to Councilmembers about district items that are on a committee’s agenda

Add to a new subsection (G) to 2-5-105 Committee Meetings:

“The city clerk, at the direction of the committee chair, will notify a councilmember when an item impacting property in their district is posted for consideration at a committee meeting under 2-5-105(A).”

9. Correct the typo on 2-5-26(D)(4)(c): “board”
Ann Kitchen
Council Member District 5
Don Zimmerman
Posts: 168
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2015 11:05 am

Re: Proposed Amendments to Agenda and Committees Ordinance

Post by Don Zimmerman »

CM Kitchen -
These all seem reasonable based on a cursory examination.

Let me add these two suggested edits from the original posted document:

1.
Page 5, line 23, in Section 2-5-106 Committee Agendas:
...
(4) at the request of the city manager.
Add
(5) at the request of 2 council members

2.
Page 7, line 20, Section 2-5-26 Agenda for Council Meetings, change "should" to "shall":
(B) ... The city manager should not place...

May I also recommend that we keep VERSION NUMBERS, with date/time, on the proposed ordinance as these edits/corrections/amendments are made.

The city manager SHALL not place...
Don Zimmerman
Council Member District 6 (northwest Austin)
Leslie Pool
Posts: 231
Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2015 3:22 pm

Re: Proposed Amendments to Agenda and Committees Ordinance

Post by Leslie Pool »

Here's the full link for Ann's pdf .... basically just copy this and paste into your browser and the document should appear.
(Reason the link above doesn't work is the "f" is left off at the end.)


http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... E1180D.pdf
Leslie Pool
Mayor Pro Tem
Council Member, District 7
Ann Kitchen
Posts: 294
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2015 4:04 pm

Re: Proposed Amendments to Agenda and Committees Ordinance

Post by Ann Kitchen »

Everyone

Here is the link to the proposed changes that incorporates our Work Session discussion today (Version 2)

http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... E1180D.pdf

Please let me know if I missed or mistated anything we discussed today.
Ann Kitchen
Council Member District 5
John Lawler (D4)
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Jan 20, 2015 3:21 pm

Re: Proposed Amendments to Agenda and Committees Ordinance

Post by John Lawler (D4) »

Council Members and Staff -

Council Member Kitchen, thank you for summarizing yesterday's proposed edits.

Council Member Casar would like to recommend the following additional edit concerning posting language of agenda items:

When an item has been brought before Council outside of the proposed committee process (four members support skipping the committee) it should be noted in the agenda that the item has not been reviewed by a committee. In addition, when four council members support bringing an item up for public input before the full council it should also be noted in the agenda description as such. The language could appear in the same way purchasing/contracting item descriptions do whenever a MBE/WBE is not available.

This edit may best be included under 2-5-26(A).

Thank you!

John Lawler
Policy Director
Office of Council Member Greg Casar, District 4
Ann Kitchen
Posts: 294
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2015 4:04 pm

Re: Proposed Amendments to Agenda and Committees Ordinance

Post by Ann Kitchen »

CM Casar - we have incorporated that amendment.

Everyone - the revised ordinance will be posted as late back up this afternoon, in redline format so you can see the comparison with the posted ordinance
Ann Kitchen
Council Member District 5
Leslie Pool
Posts: 231
Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2015 3:22 pm

Re: Proposed Amendments to Agenda and Committees Ordinance

Post by Leslie Pool »

All, I am drafting an amendment to Item 26 to delete Intergovernmental Relations as a committee at our meeting tomorrow, based on our discussion at work session yesterday. I believe another amendment will be offered to combine the Audit and Finance Committees into one. By my count, with these changes and with Austin Energy as a committee of the whole, we should have a total of 10 Council committees.

I'm also planning to ask staff to provide a report to our offices on resolutions and ordinances that are pending in the Council Information Under Review (CIUR) system. It will be helpful for us to know the current status of actions the previous Council initiated.

Thanks,

Leslie
Leslie Pool
Mayor Pro Tem
Council Member, District 7
Delia Garza
Posts: 52
Joined: Thu Jan 15, 2015 9:20 am

Re: Proposed Amendments to Agenda and Committees Ordinance

Post by Delia Garza »

I plan to suggest an amendment today for item 26 to allow up to 20 speakers on any item that has gone through the committee process. 10 speakers per side would be awarded 2 minutes each on a first come first serve basis. Any neutral speakers would count toward the total of 20 speakers allowed, and would be listed on an alternating basis on the for and against sides.
One of the benefits of our new 10-1 Council was supposed to be ensuring that public input would have an impact on our decisions, which was the main motivating factor behind holding a public meeting last week to hear feedback from Austinites about this new structure and committee system. We have received overwhelming feedback requesting the ability to speak to the full Council on any item, and I believe we would be doing a disservice to the public to ignore that input.
I understand that many on Council have concerns about how unlimited testimony could impact our meetings moving forward. This compromise would only add 40 minutes of public testimony for items with significant public interest, and strikes a balance between our goal to shorten Council meetings while fostering public engagement. I hope my colleagues will be able to support this amendment.
Mayor Pro Tem, District 2
Ann Kitchen
Posts: 294
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2015 4:04 pm

Re: Proposed Amendments to Agenda and Committees Ordinance

Post by Ann Kitchen »

So to recap for everyone - here's how public input / hearings would work under the proposed ordinance:

1. Citizen Communication remains as it is today - with the opportunity for people to address the full council on any item.

2. Preserve the opportunity to address the full Council for items that don't go through a committee

3. Preserve the opportunity to address the full Council for items, at the request of four councilmembers

4. Add hearings in front of council committees to provide the opportunity to contribute ideas and affect items - earlier in the process. Committee hearings at times, places, and with information that makes it possible for people to participate.

CM Garza's proposal would add to this list the opportunity for limited public testimony on any item in front on the council - in addition to citizens communication.
Ann Kitchen
Council Member District 5
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