City of Santa Clara
Council Policy Manual
[Date Adopted] Council Policy [XXX] Page 1 of 3
Resolution No. [XXX-XXXX]
SPECIAL MEETING
SCHEDULING POLICY
PU
RPOSE In General. These Special Meeting Scheduling Procedures ("Scheduling Policy") establish a standardized, transparent, and equitable process for determining the date and time of Special Meetings of the City Council. Without a defined procedure, meeting date selection may appear arbitrary or preferential, and potentially creating unnecessary internal conflict.
Selecting a date in which the greatest number of members can attend maximizes participation, ensures reliable quorum achievement, respects the equal standing of all members, and eliminates the appearance of favoritism toward any individual officeholder.
Relationship to Policy 055. This Policy supplements Council Policy 055, "Council Meeting Procedures and Protocols," which governs the conduct of meetings. In the event of any conflict between this Policy and Policy 055, this Policy shall govern with respect to Special Meeting schedu ling. This Policy does not supersede any requirements of the City Charter or the Ralph M. Brown Act.
Applicability. This Policy applies to the City Council and the Santa Clara Stadium Authority. References to the "Mayor" shall be read as "Chair" for other bodies.
References to "City Manager" include the City Manager's designee.
POLICY A. Scheduling Principle — M ajority Availability.
When a Special Meeting must be scheduled, the City Clerk’s Office, in coordination with the City Manager’s Office, shall select the date on which the greatest number of members have confirmed availability, provided that date achieves at least a quorum. No member's schedule, shall receive preference over this majority availability standard.
B. In itiation.
A Special Meeting may be initiated by the City Manager, who shall notify the City Clerk’s Office of the need, or by a majority of members through written or electronic notice to the City Manager and City Clerk ’s Office. Upon initiation, the City Clerk’s Office shall promptly begin the scheduling process in Section C.
C. Availability Polling Process.
Step 1 — Identify Proposed Dates.
The City Manager, in consultation with the City Clerk’s Office, shall identify a minimum of three (3) proposed dates. Proposed dates shall:
• Comply with the Brown Act's minimum 24- hour advance written notice requirement (Gov. Code § 54956);
• Reflect a reasonable timeframe given the urgency of the business to be addressed; and
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City of Santa Clara
Council Policy Manual
[Date Adopted] Council Policy [XXX] Page 2 of 3
Resolution No. [XXX-XXXX]
• Be offered simultaneously to all members — no member shall be polled before others.
Step 2 — Simultaneous Poll.
The City Clerk ’s Office shall transmit an availability request to all members simultaneously, via electronic calendar hold, email or written communication. The request shall:
• List all proposed dates and times;
• Request each member to respond "Available," or "Unavailable," for each date; • Set a response deadline of no more than forty-eight (48) hours from transmission; and
• State that non-response within the deadline will be recorded as "No Response" and treated as "Unknown."
Step 3 — Availability Summary.
Upon expiration of the polling deadline, the City Clerk ’s Office shall compile member responses into a written Availability Summary documenting, for each proposed date: the number of members confirming availability, the names of available and unavailable members, and any non-responses. The Availability Summary shall be retained as part of the official record.
D. Date Selection Criteria.
The City Manager shall select the Special Meeting date using the following criteria, applied in order:
Criterion 1 — Greatest Availability.
Select the proposed date on which the highest total number of members confirmed availability.
Criterion 2 — Earliest Date (Tiebreaker).
If two or more proposed dates have the same highest number of available members, select the earliest of those dates. This tiebreaker minimizes delay in conducting City business; it does not favor or disfavor any individual member.
Criterion 3 — Quorum Confirmation.
Before finalizing a date, the City Manager shall confirm that the selected date achieves at least a quorum. If no proposed date achieves quorum, the City Manager shall propose additional dates and re-poll.
Criterion 4 — Equal Treatment.
The City Manager shall not adjust the selected date to accommodate the schedule of any individual member where doing so would result in selection of a date with fewer total available members.
E. Notice.
City of Santa Clara
Council Policy Manual
[Date Adopted] Council Policy [XXX] Page 3 of 3
Resolution No. [XXX-XXXX]
Once a date is selected, the City Clerk’s Office shall issue the Special Meeting Notice in compliance with the Brown Act (Gov. Code § 54956), providing at least 24 hours' advance written notice to each member and to media organizations that have requested such notice. The notice shall specify the time, place, and business items to be heard.
G. Record Retention.
The City Clerk’s Office shall retain for each Special Meeting scheduling process: (1) the availability poll as transmitted; (2) the Availability Summary; and (3) the Special Meeting Notice as issued. These records are public records available upon request under the California Public Records Act (Gov. Code § 7920 et seq.).