pages: CityCouncil/2017-04-18.pdf, 21
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CityCouncil | 2017-04-18 | 21 | disservice to the Council and citizens; the chart was difficult to read; a better way to present the information to the public needs to be considered: Dorothy Freeman, Alameda. Stated the chart is missing a timeline; urged Council to work harder to engage the public: Gretchen Lipow, Alameda. Councilmember Matarrese stated once a referral is voted on it is no longer a referral; Council should be consistent; an estimate is needed as to when a referral would be done; the form needs to have a suggested priority level; suggested having the Eisenhower chart on the form; the understanding of referrals is that a Councilmember is not soliciting action other than to have Council agree before expending staff time. Councilmember Oddie stated including the Eisenhower chart on the form is appropriate; he is concerned that there is no schedule or timeline; the community would benefit from a schedule that is regularly updated; having a schedule gives more notice, is more transparent, and would be an effective planning tool. The City Manager outlined detail on the spreadsheet tracking referrals; including the Housing and Homeless, FAAS, and Zoning referrals. Vice Mayor Vella stated the original date of the referral is missing from the chart; suggested changing "next steps' to "projected timeline' and including the original referral direction date to keep track; stated having a suggested priority level is helpful; she hopes there is discussion about the reality of how much time the referrals are going to take; expanding upon the upcoming items list and making it public would be helpful. Councilmember Ezzy Ashcraft urged Council to give the new referral form a try; the form places focus on what the Councilmember is recommending and helps prioritize. Mayor Spencer stated that she does not like the form and it is not transparent; she prefers to make it clear to the public that Council may be able to take action that night or give direction; the tracker chart is not useable and has way too small print; the tracker chart needs a timeline and consideration of how much time all items would take to get done, not just high priority. The City Manager reminded Council agendas are packed; stated there is lots of work with limited staff; referrals could be piled on but other items will suffer; the City does not have the budget to add additional staff to handle non-critical referrals and does not recommend doing so. Mayor Spencer stated the referrals are critical and some could have significant impact on the lives of residents. Councilmember Oddie stated there needs to be a balance; the Council is the policymaking body and has the right to bring the referrals, which will not slow down. Regular Meeting Alameda City Council 20 April 18, 2017 | CityCouncil/2017-04-18.pdf |