City Council
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: CONSENT CALENDAR
Lead Department: City Manager
Meeting Date: December 15, 2025
Report #:2511-5554
TITLE
Policy and Services Committee Recommends Council Amend the Procedures and Protocols Handbook to Allow January Committee Meetings and Schedule Procedures and Protocols Handbook Review Every Other Year: CEQA - Not a Project
RECOMMENDATION
The Policy and Services Committee recommends that the City Council amend the Procedures and Protocols Handbook to reflect two changes:
- In Procedures Section 1.2, update the language to allow for City Council committees to meet in January at the discretion of the committee chair, and - In Procedures Section 8.1, update the language to state that regular review of the City Council Procedures and Protocols Handbook will occur every other year with the process starting in the odd years.
BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
The City Council referred a discussion to the Policy and Services Committee focused on recurring items that regularly come to the City Council. The referral was intended to help assess how the City Council can best smooth agenda items throughout the calendar year to reduce the number of items coming to City Council and committees near the end of the calendar year and fiscal year. The Policy and Services Committee discussed this item at their September 9 meeting1 and their November 19 meeting.2 The discussion included a list of ‘recurring items’ that happen annually with the estimated time of year that those items come to City Council and where on the agenda the items are placed. The Committee noted the volume of recurring items and that those items are spaced out throughout the year. The Committee requested staff to 1 September 9, 2025 Policy and Services Meeting; Item #3. Link:
https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=16216 2 November 19, 2025 Policy and Services Committee Meeting, Item #5. Link:
https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=16308
continue to try to spread out the non-recurring items that come to Council (for example items related to Council priority objectives, review of development applications, and other time sensitive items) throughout the year.
After considering the scheduling of recurring items, the Committee considered ways to help with the Council agendas and recommended the following for full Council consideration as amendments to the Handbook:
1. Amend Procedures Section 1.2 of the Procedures and Protocols Handbook to allow for a Council committee to meet in January if desired. This would be at the discretion of the outgoing chairperson and it would be a meeting of the existing committee members before the new committee is formed. This is intended to allow the committees, if needed, to continue to advance items and help with Council agendas in the early part of the calendar year. The change would not obligate committees to meet in January but would allow the Committee Chair to schedule a meeting if needed.
2. Amend Procedures Section 8.1 of the Procedures and Protocols Handbook to set the regular review cycle for the Procedures and Protocols Handbook to be every other year instead of an annual review. This recommendation was made because of the extensive work done on the Procedures and Protocols Handbook in recent years. The Committee motion intends for the Committee to review the Handbook in the odd years and for Council to address any changes early the next year. This would include solicitation of ideas from Council members and staff in the fall and then full Council discussion in early the following year. Such a change would allow for any new Council members to have completed most of their first year on Council before going through the Handbook update.
The Committee also discussed the concept of using a consent agenda for committee meetings.
Staff did not recommend a committee consent agenda as there is some tension between a consent agenda and the Council’s intent for committees. In addition, a consent agenda would require clear guidelines on when items should be included on consent rather than action. The Committee decided that no change is needed because members have the discretion to dispense efficiently with items that do not require extensive discussion, especially if there is general consensus on the topic.
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
The potential for additional committee meetings in January will require staff resources to prepare the agenda reports and attend the meeting.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
During these discussions at Policy and Services Committee, there were no public commenters on this topic.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Approval of these recommendations are not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), as it is an administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect changes in the environment (CEQA Guidelines 15378(b)(5).).
APPROVED BY:
Ed Shikada, City Manager