Title
Motion to Approve Edits to the City Council Member Handbook
Staffreport
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff presents for the City Council’s consideration the following summary of recommended edits and changes to various elements of the City Council Handbook that relate to City Council procedures and protocols. The City Council Rules Committee was presented the proposed edits at its May 25, 2022 meeting. The suggested edits are to bring the Handbook up to date with current City Council practices and policies as well as to address minor grammatical and spelling errors. Staff recommends that the City Council Rules Committee consider this information and provide direction to staff.
Section I: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
Minor formatting edits for consistency with current practices and approved ordinances.
Outside Governmental Appointments
The following language was added:
• If appointed, any travel associated with an outside governmental appointment will be taken from the Councilmember’s travel budget.
Reimbursement for Expenses
The following was added at the end:
City budgets are set per cost account and the monies are not transferrable between budget accounts.
Council Goals and Priorities
Updated to be consistent with current practices of Council Goal Setting workshops meeting Bi-Annually and adding the title to “Item 13” Council Requests for Future Items.
Section II: MEETINGS
Various edits to a few sections to update the information to be consistent with current practices, that were previously approved by Council but not updated in the Handbook.
Section III: AGENDA
Update to City Council meeting agendas to be consistent with how the meetings flow:
1. CALL TO ORDER
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
ROLL CALL
2. ANNOUNCEMENTS
3. RECOGNITIONS
Item 1, Call to Order will now include the Pledge of Allegiance and Roll Call. Item 2 will now be Announcements, a time when the City Clerk will make any necessary announcements and the Mayor, City Manager and City Attorney may also make any necessary announcements. Item 3 will be Recognitions and the rest of the agenda will be numbered in sequential order, eliminating the previous sub-numbering with capital letters.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
The time for Public Comments has been adjusted to 2 minutes, to reflect the time given to public speakers, which is subject to adjustment by the mayor, and can be increased or decreased if necessary, based on the number of public speakers in attendance.
REQUESTS BY MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL TO SCHEDULE AGENDA ITEMS
Updated to reflect current practices of referring items for placement on the Council Priority List, to be reviewed bi-annually at the Council Retreats.
SECTION IV- CONFLICTS, LIABILITY & DECORUM
Added AB 1661 and the word prevention to the title of the section.
SECTION VI - COMMUNICATIONS
A. TIME LIMITATIONS
Updated to reflect the 2 minutes given for public comment during the meeting.
SECTION IX - BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS
GENERAL
Updated to reflect the current list of Boards and Commissions.
MEMBERS - DISTRICT REPRESENTATION
This section should be removed because each Board and Commission Profile in Section X. contains membership information, which includes district representation.
SECTION X - BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS PROFILES
Inactive Boards and Commissions are removed, as well as inactive internal committees; the Community Police Review Board is added.
APPENDIX A - SETTING THE MAYOR’S SALARY
Updated to reflect current practices
APPENDIX B-1 - GUIDELINES REGARDING REIMBURSEMENT FOR COUNCILMEMBER EXPENSES
Appendix changed to Appendix C to be consistent in formatting, as item B-1 was unrelated and not a subtext of Appendix B. Subsequent appendices were renumbered accordingly.
Council budget information has been added to Reimbursement for Expenses as well as a line item for Uniforms.
Budgets are set with the budget cycle and are non-transferrable and cannot be carried over year to year.
(A) Travel/Training
a. Councilmembers currently receive $7,000 per fiscal year, to be reimbursed after providing sufficient supporting documentation as approved by to the City Manager.
b. The Mayor currently receives $10,000 per fiscal year, to be reimbursed after providing sufficient supporting documentation as approved byto the City Manager.
(B) Technology $175 per month, times 12 months for a total of $2100, which includes monthly mobile phone and internet service.
(C) Uniform - $250 initial allocation, then $100 annually. All items must have City logo/seal permanently affixed, by embroidery, silk screen or similar.
APPENDIX D - GUIDELINES FOR COUNCILMEMBER TOWN HALL MEETINGS
A sentence was added to include the Mayor, as the Mayor does not have Town Hall meetings, but instead hosts the State of the City Address.
APPENDIX G - SAN LEANDRO SISTER CITY AND FRIENDSHIP CITY GUIDELINES
VI. City Official Visits to Sister Cities and Friendship Cities
Language added to reflect that the cost of travel must be covered by the Councilmember and the Councilmember’s travel budget shall not be used. A sentence referencing the Human Relations Committee was stricken, as that is not a standing committee.
Committee Review and Actions
• Rules Committee, May 25, 2022 - Committee by consensus agreed to move the edits to the City Council Handbook to City Council for approval.
•
Fiscal Impacts
None.
ATTACHMENT
A. City Council Member Handbook
PREPARED BY: Kelly B. Clancy, Deputy City Clerk, City Manager’s Office