Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: REGULAR AGENDA (ACTION)
To: City Council
Subject: Process for Direction on Future Agenda Items
Date: January 25, 2022
Written by: Damien O'Bid, City Manager
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council discuss, and approve by motion, guidance for adding new items to the future City Council agenda.
Background
Each year, prior to budget development, the City Council members hold a public strategic planning discussion on priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. This public discussion continues through a series of public budget workshops, where projects and programs are prioritized with available resources.
After budget adoption, it is inevitable that new items/issues come up during the year that were not anticipated during strategic planning and budget development. Therefore, as established in the City Council Rules, there is a standing agenda item titled, “Direction on Future Agenda Items”, where any City Council member can propose new agenda items to be added on a future City Council agenda. If a majority of the City Council consents to adding the new item, staff will take that as direction.
Analysis/Discussion
“Direction on Future Agenda Items” is an important tool for the City Council to remain flexible as new issues come up. Historically, many of the items requested are relatively simple, such as letters from the City or resolutions of support in response to a Cal Cities request. However, other items can require significantly more staff time or may require additional budget, which in turn may impact other existing City Council priorities. If the City Council agrees that the new item is a priority, this conversation should also include expectations on timing, and how it fits into the other existing City Council priorities. Therefore, the current priorities, and anticipated schedule to accomplish the priorities are clear among the City Council, staff and the community.
Rather than have these discussions individually as they come up throughout the year, it is much more efficient to discuss the potential new priorities together, including how they may impact existing City Council priorities, schedules, and budget. If the City Council agrees on this approach, it is recommended that these discussions normally occur during mid-year budget updates or during the normal budget development cycle, as it would be the most efficient way to bring together current priority status and budget for a comprehensive discussion. In some cases, a new item will be time critical and can’t wait until mid-year or the budget. In those cases, it is recommended that these items be brought back to City Council as needed.
Proposed Guidance for Adding New Items under “Direction on Future Agenda Items”:
1) Discuss any new "future agenda items" with the City Manager in advance to determine if it can added without impacting the timing or ability to deliver on other existing City Council priorities. Most requests are likely to fall into this category. 2) If the proposed item is too large for current staff bandwidth and will likely delay other existing City Council priorities, during “Direction on Future Agenda Items”, the City Council member should ask for the item to be added to a list of items that the City Council should discuss at the next mid-year or budget discussion, depending on the time sensitivity of the item.
3) Finally, if it is a sizable request, but is time-sensitive and would suffer by being delayed a few months, the City Council member can ask for it as usual during “Direction on Future Agenda Items”. Unless a majority of the City Council desires to postpone the item, staff will come back at a subsequent City Council meeting with a suggested re-prioritization of activities or other potential alternatives for formal City Council agreement.
When new items are accepted for further discussion, for the benefit of the public it is a recommended practice for either the City Council or the staff to articulate the anticipated next steps, as categorized above.
Financial Considerations
There are no direct financial impacts, however having an agreed upon method for prioritizing new items will allow for more efficient and focused staff work to accomplish City Council priorities.
Environmental Issues
This action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it is not a project which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, pursuant to CEQA Guideline section 15378.