City of Cotati
City Council Workshop
Rick Haydon| Special Advisor
Michelle New| Consulting Manager
February 24, 2023
3:00 pm to 7:00 pm
City Council Chambers
Welcome and Call to Order by Mayor Harvey
2 Public
Comments
3 Comments from the City Manager
4 City Manager
Damien O’Bid
5 Today’s
Objectives
Learn more about City Council
team members and build upon
Council relations
Discuss governance roles and
practices of effective councils
Discuss City Council norms
6 Agenda
Icebreaker
Recent accomplishments
Why we are Councilmembers?
Governance roles
Practices of effective Councils
Teambuilding exercise
Discuss Council norms
Wrap-up and closing comments
7 Listen
to understand
each other’s
point of view
Seek
consensus
Assume
good intent
Speak up
if we need
course correction
Stay
focused
Suggested Ground Rules
Bike Rack
Time
Management Tool
Items to discuss at a
later time
8 Icebreaker
Exercise:
Exploring the
Commons
Spend 15 minutes
talking with
as many colleagues
as you can
Write
a commonality
you
share
Report out to the
group; share a fun or
unusual commonalty
you found
10 Recent
Accomplishments
(from Council interviews)
• Efforts to get the City on stable financial footing (including making the sales tax measure permanent) and having a good reserve
• The passage of the Urban Agriculture Ordinance
• Continued to retain excellent professional staff
• The City’s regional efforts within Sonoma County
• The on-call mental health support program (SAFE)
• Innovative housing policies and plans
• The Police Department’s response to national racial issues (still a work in progress)
• The adoption of an equity and inclusivity objective that honors diversity at the Council level
• The creation of a Woonerf concept of standard to ensure safe road spaces • Restructured the pension obligation package
• Launch of the Public Works project tracking tool on the City’s website • Developed plans for asset replacement, including parks, infrastructure, preventative maintenance, etc.
• Had an ad hoc committee on equity, and work begun from the ad hoc recommendations.
• Supported small businesses during the pandemic
• Repaved city streets
11 Why are we
Councilmembers?
Reflect on your
reasons for
running for
City Council
What are your
passions
related
to local
government?
What do you
hope to
personally
accomplish
while on City
Council?
Why is
effective
governance
important?
12 Council teamwork
directly impacts
these
Strategic
Direction
Results
Staffing Economic
Development
Regional
Influence
Effective Governing is a Team Sport
Together
Work
We
You can
be a solid
Council member
and a
team player
Requires clear roles,
cooperation,
persuasion,
compromise and
commitment to
relationships
13 What Makes a Council Work Well?
14 Institute for Local Government
Effective Councils
Unity of
Purpose
Clear Roles and
Responsibilities
Positive
Governance
Culture
Norms,
Protocols and
Policies
Exceptional City Councils
1. Have a sense of team; a partnership with the
city manager to govern and manage the city
2. Clear roles and responsibilities that are
understood and adhered
3. Honor the relationship with staff and each
other
4. Routinely conduct effective meetings
5. Hold themselves and the city accountable
6. Have members who practice continuous
improvement
15 Institute for Local Government (ILG)
ILG Discussion
16 What resonates with
you from the article?
City Council/City Manager Relationship
17 A Key Ingredient for Success: An
Effective City Council/City Manager
Relationship
by Kevin Duggan, ICMA
Effective Communication = Trust
Trust = A Successful Relationship
What resonates with
you from the article?
Kevin Duggan Discussion
18 What does Council need
from the City Manager to
be most successful?
Kevin Duggan Discussion
19 What does the City
Manager need from
Council to be most
successful?
The Ralph M. Brown Act
• California Government Code §§ 54950
• Actions of public agencies in California “be
taken openly and that their deliberations be
conducted openly.”
• What is a meeting under the Brown Act?
§ “Any congregation of a majority of the
members of a legislative body at the same
time and location… to hear,
discuss, deliberate, or take action on any
item that is within the subject matter
jurisdiction of the legislative body.”
(Section 54952.2)
20 The Ralph M. Brown Act
In order to be effective as a team you need to know
your fellow colleagues
The following are some examples of what you can do
and still be in compliance with the Brown Act:
• Discuss a City issue with a fellow Councilmember,
but only one Councilmember
• Attend community functions with other
Councilmembers, you can even all sit together;
just don’t discuss City business
• It is permissible to have coffee, lunch/dinner or
attend a function with another Councilmember
21 22
Light Dinner
Break
Dinnertime Activity: Two Truths and a Lie
Think of two truths
and one lie about
yourself
Share these
three things in
any order
Take turns guessing
the one item that
is a lie
Explain the items
to the
group
23 Teambuilding Activity: Personalities
Instructions
1. Take a moment to review the four
personality types and identify which
type you believe you are.
2. How does your personality type
impact how you like to
communicate? How does it impact
how you work?
24 Teambuilding Activity: Life Timelines
Instructions
1. Draw a timeline of your life’s
journey to date
2. Include key milestones (both
highs and lows) that have
influenced who you are today
3. Present your timeline to the
group
Working Together – Council Norms
26 27
What are
Council
norms?
Norms are agreed
upon standards of
behavior and practices
Many councils have a
set of adopted norms
for governance
Council Norms
In one word, how do you want
the community to view this City
Council?
28 Current Council Rule Topic Areas
29 1) City Council Meetings
2) City Council Officers
3) Order of Business
4) Rules of Conduct
5) Addressing the City Council
6) Public Hearings
7) Non-Meeting Activities
8) Councilmember Committees and
Subcommittees
9) City Boards, Commissions, and
Committees
10) Councilmember Administrative Support
11) City Council Code of Ethics
12) Failure to Observe Council Rules
13) Inconsistencies
14) Severability
City Council Code of Ethics
30 1) Preamble
2) Act in the Public Interest
3) Comply with the Law
4) Conduct of Members
5) Respect for Process
6) Conduct of City Meetings
7) Decisions Based on Merit
8) Communication
9) Conduct with City Staff
10) Disclosure of Corruption
11) Conflict of Interest
12) Gifts and Favors
13) Confidential Information
14) Use of Public Resources
15) Representation of Private Interests
16) Advocacy
17) Improper Influence
18) Police Role of Members
19) Positive Work Environment
20) Implementation
21) Attendance at Meetings and Events
22) Compliance and Enforcement
Additional Council Norms
31 1) Move from I to we, and from campaigning
to governing.
2) Work together as a body, modeling
teamwork and civility for our community.
3) Assume good intent.
4) Disagree agreeably and professionally.
5) Utilize long-range plans to provide big
picture context that is realistic and
achievable.
6) Stay focused on the topic at hand. Ensure
each member of Council has an
opportunity to speak.
Cotati has a very comprehensive
list of Council rules. In addition
to the existing rules or “norms”,
some additional norms utilized
by other cities include:
Norms Discussion
32 What do you like
from the examples?
What is
missing?
Workshop report
City Manager’s next steps
• Strategic Planning Session - March 7
• General Fund Study Session - April 4
• Enterprise and Special Revenues Study
Session - April 18
• Budget Adoption - May 23 or June 13
Next
Steps
Next Steps
33 Closing
Comments
34 Please share one
comment about what
was useful about
today’s discussions
Thank you!
Rick Haydon| [email protected]
Michelle New| [email protected]