December 16, 2024 www.cityofpaloalto.org
2024 City Council Ad
Hoc Committees
Activities
• Council uses Ad Hoc Committees to explore City
business in greater depth than what is possible in the
allotted Council and Standing Committee meetings.
• Council took a strategic approach to advancing its
identified priorities. Seven Council ad hoc committees were established and used in 2024 in addition to the
four standing committees
• Each Ad Hoc had a purpose statement
• Ad Hocs were to report out to the full Council and
this study session provides the forum for a year-end
review.
Council Ad Hoc Process
2 • The Council may create Ad Hoc Committees on a limited time basis where necessary to study City business in greater depth.
• Ad Hocs are intended to be temporary and therefore should be concluded or at least reconsidered each year.
• Most Ad Hocs will complete their work within one year or less. • Ad Hocs that have a single or limited purpose and are dissolved in a short period of time- one year or less- the Ad Hoc may meet without observing Brown Act procedures. • Ad Hocs that have continuing subject matter jurisdiction over a matter or group of related matters, or that continue their work for more than one year, should observe Brown Act procedures.
Council P&P Handbook 1.2(f) Ad Hoc Committees
3 Council 2024 Standing & Ad Hoc Committees
Climate
Protection Ad
Hoc Committee
Cubberley Real
Estate
Transaction Ad
Hoc Committee
El Camino Ad Hoc
Committee
Housing Ad Hoc
Committee
Rail Ad Hoc
Committee
(Brown Act body)
Retail Ad Hoc
Committee
(Brown Act body)
Stanford Ad Hoc
Committee
Policy & Services
Committee
(Brown Act body)
Finance
Committee
(Brown Act body)
Council
Appointed
Officers
(Brown Act body)
City/Schools
Liaison
(Brown Act body)
Ad Hoc
Committees
Standing
Committees
4 A. Amend the City Council Procedures and Protocol Handbook Procedures Section 7(b) titled “Priorities Background and Definition” as follows:
• Remove language limiting priorities to three years
• Remove “unusual” from the definition of priorities
B. Recommend that the Council forgo substantive review of the City Council Procedures and Protocols Handbook, given that significant edits were made in 2024 C. Recommend the Council Retreat include the following elements:
• Councilmember visioning for 2025
• Discussion and Approval of 2025 Priorities
• Key Community engagement needed to advance the Council Priorities, including Ad Hoc Committees
• Refer to Policy & Services Committee Consideration of Performance Measures associated with Priorities
• Resources needed to support
D. To enable the discussion above, recommend the 2025 Mayor not make Councilmember appointments to City Ad Hoc Committees prior to the 2025 Annual Retreat Policy & Services 2025 Priority Setting Discussion (Dec. 10, 2024) 5 The City Council is to receive reports from the 2024 City Council Ad Hoc Committees (7 ad hocs). Ad hoc committees are to report out to the full Council and this study session provides the forum for this year-end review.
Recommendation
6 7