City Council
Staff Report
Report Type: ACTION ITEMS
Lead Department: City Clerk
Meeting Date: December 11, 2023
Report #:2311-2272
TITLE
Adopt a Resolution Establishing the Council Annual Calendar of Meetings, Breaks and Council Events for the Calendar Year 2024.
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt a resolution establishing the Annual Summer and Winter Breaks, Council Regular and alternate meeting dates and Council event schedule from January to December 2024.
BACKGROUND
Staff is requesting consideration of adopting a Council schedule for 2024 to allow the Council to more efficiently conduct the City’s business and offer the Council, staff, and community stakeholders the opportunity to better plan for meetings as well as other obligations. Under Municipal Code Section 2.04.010(b), each year, no later than the third meeting in February, the Council shall, by Resolution, schedule its vacation for that year. During the vacation period, the Code states that there shall be no regular meetings of the Council or its standing committees.
Under the Code, the Mayor or a majority of the Council may call a special meeting during the scheduled vacation, if necessary.
This calendar-setting process occurs annually. Municipal Code Section 2.04.010(a) sets regular City Council meetings on the first three Mondays of each month. However, the Council has significant business to conduct, and at times there is a need for additional meetings to finish that business. Additionally, regular meeting dates may land on a holiday or other day of significance, thus announcing in advance which meeting dates may be modified maximizes public participation in the public process and creates operational efficiencies.
ANALYSIS
Attachment A outlines the proposed 2024 Council calendar. The attachment also includes a list of holidays and heritage, awareness, and recognition months. As this is an iterative process, this list is not exhaustive and will continue to evolve over time. The goal of sharing holidays and
heritage and awareness months in Attachment A is to increase awareness as part of the City’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
The Attachment A calendar includes Council and Committee regular and alternate meeting dates, the proposed summer and winter vacation schedules and Council annual events for calendar year 2024. The proposed summer break is Tuesday, June 25 through Sunday, August 4, which allows for an optional additional City Council meeting on Monday, June 24. If the Council wishes not to allow for a meeting on that additional date, the break could start on Friday, June 21st.
Modifications proposed to regular meeting dates are based on the following:
1. Federal or City Holidays which may fall on a date of what would be a regularly scheduled meeting.
2. Local election days which fall on the first Tuesday of the month in November in even number years (past practice has included the rescheduling of Committee meetings that fall on Palo Alto election night).
3. Shifting of a Council meeting in order to respect a religious or cultural date of significance per Council direction and the Human Relations Commission-recommended process.
4. Establishment of alternate meeting dates should they be necessary for conducting Council business.
Dates of Significance
During the March 7, 2022 Council meeting the Council addressed a colleagues memo recognizing key dates as part of continuing to prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion, building upon the equity goals adopted in November 2020. Council took action to “formally recognize and celebrate significant multicultural dates and months to promote equality, honor diversity and oppose racism.”
Of note, in the 2024 calendar year, there are not many instances of the identified events of cultural or religious significance falling on a regularly scheduled meeting date.
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
There are no fiscal impacts associated with this action.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
Staff in the City Clerk’s Office, the City Manager’s Office, and Community Services Department collaborated on the draft of the calendar. The Human Relations Commission also held discussions to determine how to honor dates of cultural and religious significance in the City, per Council direction. As mentioned above, the list of holidays and heritage and awareness months are a first attempt to expand awareness and will continue to evolve over time based on continued feedback.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This is not a project.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: 2024 City Council Calendar & Alt Format
Attachment B: Resolution setting 2024 Council Summer and Winter Breaks and Calendar of Meetings
APPROVED BY:
Mahealani Ah Yun, Interim City Clerk