TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
Lisa Jenkins, Human Resources Director
Steve Charelian, Finance Director
SUBJECT:Title
Consider Request by Councilmember Hadley and Councilmember Montgomery to Discuss the Current Reimbursement Policy for City Councilmembers (Human Resources Director Jenkins and Finance Director Steve Charelian).
DISCUSS AND PROVIDE DIRECTION
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council discuss and provide direction regarding the request by Councilmember Hadley and Councilmember Montgomery to discuss the current reimbursement policy for City Councilmembers.
Body
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There are no fiscal implications associated with the recommended action. However, should the City Council direct staff to analyze the request, staff time and resources may be expended to accommodate the request.
BACKGROUND:
Pursuant to the Brown Act, the City Council cannot discuss items not on an agenda except under very limited circumstances. The City Council has developed a process to allow individual Councilmembers to request, with the support of another Councilmember, that items be placed on a future agenda for City Council discussion. At that future meeting, the item is identified on the agenda in full compliance with the Brown Act. Discussion allows an opportunity to the public to provide input and the City Council, as a body, to decide whether City resources (staff time, etc.) should be incurred to present a more comprehensive report at a third City Council meeting.
Accordingly, individual Councilmembers can initiate future agenda items by following the following three-step process:
STEP ONE:
During “Future Agenda Items,” a Councilmember may request that an item be placed on the agenda. If another Councilmember concurs with placing the item on the agenda, the item is placed on a future agenda. (Here, on April 16, two Councilmembers requested that the City’s reimbursement policy be placed upon a future agenda).
STEP TWO:
The item is placed on the agenda at the section titled, “City Council Requests and Reports Including AB 1234 Reports” at the end of the agenda with this report. If it does not require substantial staff time, there may be attachments (e.g., copies of ordinances, resolutions, contracts, etc. previously adopted or approved) to provide background or context. (In this case, attached is Resolution No. 6024, which contains the elected official’s reimbursement policy, including the policies on “Vehicle Reimbursement” and “Telecommunications Reimbursement.” Resolution No. 6024 was adopted in April 2006, four months after the effective date of Assembly Bill 1234.)
After discussion, the Council has the following options at this meeting:
a) Receive and File the report.
b) Direct staff to perform the necessary work to prepare a more comprehensive staff report and schedule the item for a future Council meeting.
c) Continue the item to a future date.
STEP THREE:
If Council chooses option b) in Step Two above, the item will be placed on a future Council meeting agenda for action.
DISCUSSION:
At the request of Councilmember Hadley and Councilmember Montgomery at the April 16, 2019, City Council meeting, staff has placed this item on the agenda for further discussion. Upon City Council consensus, staff will undertake efforts to research this topic and return to the City Council at a future meeting with more information. Additionally, City Council may provide staff direction on what the request entails.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends that the City Council discuss and provide direction regarding the request by Councilmember Hadley and Councilmember Montgomery to discuss the current reimbursement policies for City Councilmembers.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.
ATTACHMENT:
1. Resolution No. 6024