CITY OF PACIFICA
COUNCIL AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT
1/27/2025
1 SUBJECT:
Appointment of Council ad hoc subcommittee to evaluate policies for annual selection process for Mayor and Mayor pro Tem; and continuation of discussion from the January 13, 2025, agenda item regarding the Mayor/Mayor Pro Tem selection RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Consider appointing a two-councilmember limited-term ad hoc subcommittee to work with City staff to evaluate potential process changes for the annual Mayor and Mayor pro Tem selection process; and continue discussion on Mayor/Mayor Pro Tem selection.
STAFF CONTACT:
Kevin Woodhouse, City Manager
(650) 738-7409
[email protected]
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION:
At their regular meeting on January 13, 2025, the City Council began a discussion regarding the process for annual Mayor and Mayor pro Tem selection and Section 7, Deliberations and Voting, and Section 8, Motions, of the City Council Rules and Code of Ethics. This item was agendized at the request of Councilmember Boles, following the City Council Reorganization meeting on December 9, 2024, at which Sue Beckmeyer was voted in as Mayor and Mary Bier as Mayor pro Tem.
At the conclusion of the City Council’s initial discussion about this topic, the Council directed an item be brought back at the January 27, 2025, City Council meeting to consider appointing a two-councilmember limited-term ad hoc subcommittee to work with City staff to evaluate potential process changes for the annual Mayor and Mayor pro Tem selection process. In addition, the City Council did not conclude their discussion about whether there should be a revote of the Mayor and/or Mayor pro Tem selections for 2025. Therefore, the Council may wish to continue that discussion during this item on January 27, 2025, to determine next steps.
During the January 13th discussion, there was not a Council majority in support of a re-vote, therefore a re-vote is not agendized for the January 27 Council meeting.
The recommended purpose of the limited-term ad hoc committee is to work with City staff to evaluate potential process changes for the annual Mayor and Mayor pro Tem selection process.
The limited term for the ad hoc committee is recommended to be approximately six to nine months, commencing after appointment and concluding by September, 2025.
As discussed by the Council on January 13, 2025, it would be helpful to the ad hoc committee and the City Manager to receive some initial direction from the full Council about the scope of research tasks so that the ad hoc committee and staff’s work can be focused and manageable.
For example, direction regarding the following questions may help guide the scope of work:
1. Is the Council interested in a comprehensive comparison and analysis of Roberts Rules Pacifica City Council 2
January 27, 2025
of Order versus Rosenberg’s Rules of Order?
2. Is the Council interested in a comprehensive survey of rules/policies used by all cities in our county or region?
3. Is the Council interested in a longer separate policy regarding Mayor/Mayor pro Tem selection, or inserting a shorter and more concise section into the Council Rules and Code of Ethics?
4. Is the Council interested in making changes more broadly to the Council Rules related to Section 7, Deliberations and Voting, and Section 8, Motions? If so, what guidance can the Council offer the ad hoc committee in considering changes to these sections? In addition, there may be other questions or guidance the full Council may wish to provide to the ad hoc committee’s scope of work.
In addition to the attachments provided with the January 13, 2025, report regarding other cities’ policies or guidelines for Mayor and Mayor pro Tem selection, the following additional resources have been identified by Councilmember Boles:
• Burlingame Mayoral Rotation Policy
Included in Attachment 11b in the January 13, 2025 Council Agenda Packet with information on policies / practices of the following cities: Burlingame, Los Altos, Palo Alto, Redwood City, South San Francisco
Link:
https://pacificacityca.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=4&ID=8918&MeetingID=1 671
• Palo Alto: Agenda for Council rotation meeting, January 6, 2025 https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Public/CompiledDocument?meetingTemplateId=159 08&compileOutputType=1
• Link to Rosenberg's Rules from Cal Cities:
https://www.cacities.org/UploadedFiles/LeagueInternet/77/77d4ee2b-c0bc-4ec2-881b42ccdbbe73c9.pdf ALTERNATIVE ACTION:
The Council could decide not to appoint two councilmembers to a limited-term ad hoc Subcommittee and instead direct the City Manager to carry out this work to bring back to the full City Council.
RELATION TO CITY COUNCIL STRATEGIC PLAN:
Review of this issue is not part of the FY 2024-25 workplan and does not directly relate to the City Council 2023-2030 Strategic Plan.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact related to the recommendation for appointment of an ad hoc committee.
ORIGINATED BY:
City Manager's Office
Pacifica City Council 3
January 27, 2025
ATTACHMENT LIST: