December 17, 2024
City Manager's Office
City Clerk’s Office
City Attorney’s Office
DATE: December 17, 2024
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Shasa Curl, City Manager
Pamela Christian, City Clerk
Shannon Moore, Chief Assistant City Attorney
Subject:
Draft Amendments to City Council Rules of Procedure and Order
FINANCIAL IMPACT: None
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
June 18, 2013
April 22, 2014
October 21, 2014
July 27, 2021
November 23, 2021
January 18, 2022
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
Staff is recommending changes to the City Council Rules of Procedure and Order. The proposed changes will bring the City Council meeting schedule in line with California cities' standard practices, provide staff sufficient time to review Councilmember agenda items and align the
Council recess with optimal time for Councilmembers and Staff members to take a summer vacation.
AGENDA
REPORT
December 17, 2024
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
DIRECT staff to prepare amendments the City Council
Rules of Procedure and Order to: 1) hold two City
Council meetings each month; 2) require
Councilmembers to submit agenda items by noon two
Fridays before the Thursday publication of the agenda; 3) commence the Council recess in July to align to better
with the school district’s time off; and, 4) develop minor procedural changes to comport with how the meetings
are currently conducted - City Manager’s Office/City
Clerk’s Office/City Attorney’s Office (Shasa Curl/Pamela Christian/Shannon Moore 510-620-6512).
DISCUSSION:
The City Manager’s Office held several meetings with the City Clerk and City Attorney’s Offices to develop and propose amendments to the City Council Rules of Procedure and Order to improve staff morale and develop recommendations to streamline the process for agenda review of Council items. Over the course of these meetings, three key amendments are recommended.
First, to align the City of Richmond with the practices of other California cities, staff recommend that the City Council limit regular Council meetings to no more than two each month. The City of Richmond is one of a few cities in California that holds three monthly meetings (Survey attached).
Second, the current deadline for Councilmembers is noon on Wednesday before the agenda is published on Thursday. This current deadline does not provide the City Manager, City Attorney’s Office, or the impacted departmental personnel with adequate time to properly conduct an administrative and legal review of agenda items prior to Council meetings. Moving the deadline to noon the two Fridays before the publication of the agenda aims to provide staff with sufficient time to review and process City Council agenda items properly.
Third, the current City Council recess (August/September) does not align with the school district’s vacation schedule. Councilmembers and City staff frequently schedule vacations during the summer break, which leads to decreased staffing during the summer months. Moving the Council recess to the summer months will allow departments to submit and review agenda items while fully staffed, improve staff efficiency, and better utilize staff resources. It is also recommended that no City Council meetings be held during City observed holiday weeks to allow City Council members and staff to attend community events and celebrations.
December 17, 2024
In sum, the City Manager, City Clerk, and City Attorney’s Office recommend amending the City Council Rules to:
1. Holding only two Council meetings a month – suggest the 1st and 3rd Tuesday
2. Commencing Council recess to include July and August to align with the school district’s time off suggest: (City Council recess period shall begin the first Tuesday in July and reconvene in September on the first Tuesday following the week of Labor Day), and refrain from holding City council meetings during City observed holidays (e.g., last week’s meeting during Thanksgiving week); and
3. Councilmembers to follow amended agenda deadlines (removing the Wednesday at noon deadline before the Thursday publication) and moving to noon two Fridays before the Thursday publication of the agenda.
4. Develop minor procedural changes to comport with how the meeting is currently conducted.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Survey of City Council Meeting Frequency - Cities in California