Transition Committee Report Draft

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

Transition Committee Report Draft

Post by Ann Kitchen »

All

Please follow the link below to review the latest draft of the Transition Committee Report. We are scheduled to discuss it in next Tuesday's (2/2) work session.

http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 180643.doc

THANK YOU
Ann Kitchen
Council Member District 5
Don Zimmerman
Posts: 168
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2015 11:05 am

Re: Transition Committee Report Draft

Post by Don Zimmerman »

Thank you, Council Member Kitchen, Casar, and Transition Committee:

I appreciate the time you have spent working on this.

While looking at CM Kitchen’s post regarding the “Transition Committee Report Draft” and CM Casar’s post regarding “Proposed committee system changes,” a few things jump out at me.

1. Language for specific changes:
Is there any draft language showing how Ordinance 20150129-026 and/or the current sections of Code dealing with Committees would be changed based on the workgroup’s recommendation?

2. Quorum
If committees (except for Austin Energy Oversight) are 3 members, what is a quorum?

If it takes a majority of committee members to place an item the committee agenda, does that violate any open meetings act, quorum laws, walking quorum laws, or City Code?

Currently, City Code 2-5-105 (A) states “The agenda and back-up materials for a council committee meeting must be posted and open to the public in the same manner as a meeting of the full council for the committee to take action, receive live public comment, or meet as a committee with another person.” I could see how with only 3 members, perceptions of “meeting as a committee with another person,” may occur more frequently.

3. Requirements to placing on a committee agenda:
In the recommendation, B.2. “With the exception of the Austin Energy Oversight Committee, items must be sponsored by at least 2 committee members to be placed on the Committee agenda.”

For the Austin Energy Oversite Committee, is the intent that on this particular committee only 1 committee member is needed to get an item on its agenda?

Is the recommendation to still keep it at the request of 2 council members who are not members of the committee to place an item on the committee agenda?

If you have 1 member of the committee and another council member who is not a member of the committee, will that require it to be placed on a committee agenda?

4. Timing of Citizens Communication:
In the Public Safety Committee, we pushed Citizens Communication to the end since we heard complaints from residents that they are generally working during the day. Since the committee starts at 4pm, moving Citizens Communication to the end allows for people to still give their input without necessarily having to take time off from work. In the recommendations, B.1.a) seems to push Citizens Communication to the beginning of the meeting.


Thank you again for looking into these.

Don
Don Zimmerman
Council Member District 6 (northwest Austin)
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