pages: CityCouncil/2007-11-13.pdf, 8
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CityCouncil | 2007-11-13 | 8 | City of Alameda Summary of Priority Setting Workshop - November 13, 2007 Combine #4 and #6 Add something about workforce Planning and development Concern about the items being too specific Department VS. citywide (Council) priorities - currently seems disproportionately a few depts. Need to clarify structure of objectives to priorities/work plan; what is the framework; are the "City Objectives" actually "policy objectives" Tie priorities back to budget City Council Referral Procedures The purpose of this discussion was to create an orderly process through which Council members and staff can be clear about work that is being requested, whether the work can be done in a reasonable period of time, and whether it is consistent with Council direction. There are times where one Councilmember will have an interest in the staff exploring something or preparing a report on an issue; staff is not always clear about whether the one Councilmember is representing the interests of the entire Council. Since staff has a full work program, it means re-directing staff from existing priorities and Council direction. This can inadvertently re-arrange Council priorities. Additionally, during the year, needs will emerge, requiring new attention, and it means we need to be able to modify our priorities. Therefore, the purpose of this portion of the agenda was to create a process that Council and staff can follow. Management Partners prepared a memo, which described the process used by several cities that have created methods of handling Council requests. The memo was reviewed at the workshop and a discussion then took place. The question posed for discussion was: "When new issues arise from a Councilmember, what are our options for dealing with them?" Several methods are used by other cities to determine Council direction on a Council member's request, including: 1. If the request can be handled in approximately one hour, and it is consistent with current Council policy and direction, the City Manager can assign it to be done. This is referred to as the "one-hour rule." 2. A Councilmember prepares a "Council referral" which is written in advance and placed on Council Agenda for discussion. 3. The City Manager gives a verbal or written report on what would be required to handle the request. 4. There is no change in policy or practices without Council direction. 5. Copies of information provided to one Council member goes to all Council members Council and EMT Comments: Management needs to better clarify the impact or time involved to respond to a request. The impact of a request needs to be part of the Council's consideration of the request from a Councilmember. What are the costs in staff time, dollars, impact on other priorities, other costs? Routine operational items should not be affected by a new process (i.e. citizen complaints). A new process should only apply to special requests or new initiatives, since we're talking about impacts on or shifting of priorities or resources. Management Partners, Inc. 5 | CityCouncil/2007-11-13.pdf |