pages: CityCouncil/2021-02-16.pdf, 14
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CityCouncil | 2021-02-16 | 14 | and two minutes; one minute is not sufficient; expressed support for looking at Council speaking time and lowering it where necessary; stated the majority of time is spent on Council comments; Council should try to minimize comments; expressed support for ten minute limits on staff presentations. Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft outlined staff having uninterrupted presentations; stated Council speaks longer than the public due to being the policy making body, which requires deliberation. Councilmember Daysog discussed a Norman Rockwell painting "Town Hall;" stated public comment is a moment for individuals to express their ideas; City Hall churns out policies and programs and Council has opportunities to work with City staff; Council meetings provide the opportunity for members of the public to weigh-in on matters; the desire for an efficient Council meeting should not trump the freedoms and liberties residents enjoy; Council has made enough changes to the process; one minute of speaking time is not enough; sometimes three minutes is needed to convey comments; expressed support for reviewing how agendas are set; stated staff needs to estimate the amount of time each matter will take to plan agendas accordingly; expressed concern about incorrect matters being placed on the Consent Calendar; stated the focus and management should be spent on the Council meeting packet. Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated when Council is unable to finish an agenda by midnight, remaining matters are carried over to the next meeting agenda; matters add up when carried over; noted Council has yet to reach the end of the regular agenda before midnight; Council is trying to achieve balance, not curtail public comment; stated many Councilmembers had one minute of response time during public forums while running for office; inquired about the amount of public speakers being unknown causing inconsistent time limits. The City Clerk responded a placeholder was noted in the staff report so the matter could return for further consideration; noted other cities do call for speakers and set cut- off times; stated there is concern for cutting off those attempting to join a meeting quickly; people do raise and lower hands in an attempt to be the last speaker or to keep speaking time high. Councilmember Herrera Spencer moved approval of limiting presentations to ten minutes, uninterrupted, and for seven minutes of Council speaking time. Councilmember Knox White seconded the motion. Under discussion, Vice Mayor Vella stated there has been a lot of focus on the Brown Act; the Brown Act limits the ability for Councilmembers to discuss matters as a deliberative body to Council meetings; having a decent amount of time to ask questions of staff and discuss among Councilmembers is important; Councilmembers cannot legally discuss matters with more than one other member; expressed concern about creating further problems in the future by suppressing the ability to publically deliberate; Regular Meeting Alameda City Council 12 February 16, 2021 | CityCouncil/2021-02-16.pdf |