City Council
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: ACTION ITEMS
Lead Department: City Manager
Meeting Date: March 18, 2024
Report #:2312-2321
TITLE
Discussion and Direction Regarding the City Council Procedures and Protocols Handbook - Annual Discussion as Recommended by the Policy & Services Committee
RECOMMENDATION
The Policy and Services Committee recommends that the City Council discuss potential substantive edits, changes, and revisions to the City Council Procedures and Protocols Handbook (CPP or Handbook). These suggestions were discussed at Committee in November 2023 and the Committee forwarded them all to the full City Council for review and discussion.
After City Council discussion and direction regarding the items of interest, staff can return with complete text for review at a future meeting submitted directly to the full City Council or through the Policy and Services Committee, if so assigned.
BACKGROUND
The Municipal Code provides that the City Council shall adopt “a handbook of procedural rules governing any aspect of the conduct of meetings and hearings for the Council and its standing committees, including but not limited to, agenda requirements, the order of business, rules of order, rules of evidence, closed session procedures and rules for public participation in meetings” (PAMC section 2.04.100). The City Council adopted the first version of the City Council Procedures and Protocols Handbook in the early 2000s and have made modifications over the years.
The Handbook calls on the City Council to review its procedural rules and protocols annually (CPP, Procedures Section 8.1). This is typically done at the City Council’s January/February retreat (or soon thereafter depending on agenda availability). The Handbook has been amended numerous times over a 20-year period with updates to particular sections, but the Handbook had grown hard to follow. As a result, the whole document was revised, reorganized, and reformatted in early 2023. This was a significant effort, led by the City Council, to improve Handbook readability and ease of use for City Council Members, Staff and the public. Final
action on this most recent version of the Handbook was on April 24, 20231; the Handbook is online at: https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/Departments/City-Clerk/City-Council (scroll to the bottom of the page).
Through that revision process, the City Council made seven (7) referrals to the Policy and Services Committee on various topics. The City Council discussed and approved language related to those referrals at various City Council meetings in early 2024 (February 26 and February 5) 2. Staff will provide an updated version of the Handbook as a supplemental report to this report and will also upload it to the aforementioned link.
The Policy and Services Committee discussed the suggested edits (Attachment A) for this annual discussion at its November 14, 2023 meeting3 and provided some initial thoughts on the topics. The Committee did not prioritize the items but rather did an initial review. The minutes summarizing the Committee discussion are included as Attachment B to this report.
ANALYSIS
The Handbook describes the way the Palo Alto City Council conducts its business and is a directional guide (PAMC section 2.04.100). It is intended to accomplish two goals: first, the Handbook is an informational guide for anyone doing business or appearing before the City Council. Second, the Handbook is a compilation of procedures and protocols that have been formally adopted by the City Council. Municipal Code 2.04.100 states the following related to the handbook:
Municipal Code 2.04.100 - Handbook of procedural rules The Council shall adopt by resolution a handbook of procedural rules governing any aspect of the conduct of meetings and hearings for the council and its standing committees, including but not limited to agenda requirements, the order of business, rules of order, rules of evidence, closed session procedures and rules for public participation in meetings. The handbook of procedural rules shall be deemed guidelines and failure to comply with any procedural rule shall not be the basis for challenge to or invalidation of any action of the council, nor shall they be construed to create any independent remedy or right of action of any kind.
Staff solicited the City Council for suggestions related to the annual discussion of the Procedures and Protocols Handbook (Handbook) in November 2023. Staff also compiled a list of staff-generated potential changes based on observations throughout the year. These 1 City Council April 24, 2023 Agenda Item 6:
https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=12660 2 City Council February 26 Agenda Item 15:
https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=13357 City Council February 5 Agenda Item 13:
https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=13345 3 November 14, 2023 Policy and Services Committee Item 3:
https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=12180 suggestions from City Council and staff are all included in Attachment A. These suggestions are included for City Council consideration and discussion. Staff requests City Council review of the list of suggested Handbook changes.
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
Depending on the nature and extent of the new/edited procedure or protocol revisions sought, the actual revision language could involve a moderate amount of staff resources to draft.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
The items included in Attachment A reflect feedback from Staff and the City Council. Staff received Handbook feedback from the City Council prior to the November Policy and Services Committee discussion.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
City Council action on this item is not a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because revisions to the City Council Procedures and Protocols is a continuing administrative or maintenance activity. CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(2).
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: City Council and Staff Proposed Changes to Council Handbook, as of Nov. 2023 Attachment B: Policy and Services November 2023 Summary Minutes APPROVED BY:
Ed Shikada, City Manager