City of Victorville
City Council Governance Workshop
March 28, 2023
9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
City Hall, Training Room, Second Floor
Steve Mermell and Mary Locey, Facilitators
Welcome from Mayor Debra Jones
2 Debra Jones
Mayor
Leslie Irving
Councilmember
Elizabeth Becerra
Mayor Pro Tem
Blanca Gomez
Councilmember
Bob Harriman
Councilmember
Public Comments
3 Comments from the City Manager
Keith Metzler
City Manager
4 Today’s
Objectives
5 Review best practices for Council
effectiveness
Review roles of Mayor, Council, City
Manager and City Attorney
Review and confirm Council norms
Discuss Council training for 2023
Today’s Agenda
Icebreaker
Review best governance practices and roles
Review our current Council norms and determine
if any modifications are needed
Discuss Council training for 2023
Wrap Up
6 Ground Rules
7 Assume good intent
Respect every Councilmember’s opportunity to
participate
Seek consensus and areas of agreement
Stay focused
Model how we want others to act
Bike Rack
• Things to discuss at
another time will be
tracked separately
• Time management tool
8 Icebreaker
Who is someone
who has inspired
you
and how?
9 What Councilmembers Would Like to Discuss
10 Being prepared for the
Council meetings
Getting our questions
answered prior to meetings
so we can be more efficient
How best to ensure the
Council is following
Rosenberg’s Rules of Order
(as amended in Council
Policy and Procedure
Manual)
What it means to be “civil
and respectful” to one
another
The role and responsibilities
of members of the Council
Articulating a broader vision
for the City rather than
parochial issues
Discussion of
Best
Governance
Practices
11 12
Institute for Local Government
What Makes a
Council Work
Well?
Exceptional City Councils
13 1. Have a sense of team - a partnership with the city manager to govern and manage the city
2. Clear roles and responsibilities that are
understood and adhered
3. Honor the relationship with staff and each other
4. Routinely conduct effective meetings
5. Hold themselves and the city accountable
6. Have members who practice continuous
improvement
14 What
Resonates
from the
Article?
Effective Council Meetings
15 • Read materials and ask questions of staff in advance • Be efficient in comments
• No surprises for staff at the Council meeting; we’re all on the same team
• Show respect to every person
• Have clear procedures for recognizing councilmembers
to speak
• Limit debate and discussion to the agenda item and stay focused
• Follow established procedures including Rosenberg’s
Rules of Order as modified by the Council Policy and
Procedures Manual
16 • Respecting council-manager form of
government
• Once the vote is held, accepting
the outcome
• Able to make unpopular but necessary
decisions
• Disagreeing, but respectfully
• Getting the public engaged in
productive ways
• Being trustworthy; doing what you say
you will do and doing it transparently
Functional Governance
• Personal attacks
• Dominating the discussion
• Using media or public to attack
colleagues’ motives or integrity
• Purposely being uncooperative
• Attempting to embarrass each other
• Despite majority vote, continuing to
speak against the people who voted for
it
• Stacking the audience
• Viewing colleagues as enemies or
competitors
Dysfunctional Governance
Factors Impacting Governance
Can’t I Disagree with a Colleague?
17 • YES, of course! Just do it in a way that
maintains the team.
• Show:
Dignity
Respect
Inclusiveness
• Never underestimate the power of a little
civility and kindness
• Focus on the issue and do not make it
personal
• Goal is to reach a Council decision after
everyone has had an equal opportunity to
be heard
Tip: People are watching and
what you do is a model for
others, either good or bad
18 Everyone Has
a Role to Play
Mayor
presides
over the
meetings
Council sets
goals and
policies
City
Manager
directs staff
City
Attorney
provides
legal advice
“Exceptional Councils have clear roles and
responsibilities that are understood and
adhered to.” – Attributes of Exceptional
Councils by Institute for Local Government
Form of Government
19 • Victorville’s City Charter sets
forth a Council-Manager form of
government
• “Council sets policy and the City
Manager administers the
government”
• All but about 15 cities in
California operate under this
system
Mayor
• Presiding Officer at all meetings of City Council
and chairs Council meetings.
• Serves as official representative of the City of
Victorville
• Represents the City at events, or designates
others from Council to represent the City
• Speaks on behalf of the City or designates others
from Council to speak on behalf of the City
• Signs proclamations
• Assists with onboarding/orientation of new
Councilmembers
City
Council
Charter: “Council Sets Policy”
• Sets policy, approves budget, establishes vision/goals • Respects role of Mayor
• Appoints City Manager and City Attorney
• Represents City through established policies and
procedures, and does not speak as an individual or
indicate that an individual opinion represents City
policy
• Works through the City Manager, and respects the
Council/Manager form of government; does not
interfere with staff responsibilities
• Does not discuss or interfere with City Manager’s
authority to deal with personnel matters
• Refers community complaints to staff for follow up;
does not get involved in details
• Communicates and keeps in touch with
community/constituent concerns
• Operates within established norms and protocols and
the Council Policy and Procedures Manual
City
Manager
Charter: “Administers the
Government”
• Provides organizational leadership
• Directs and manages City staff, including all personnel actions; handles day to day operations; delegates to
staff
• Implements Council policy
• Provides professional recommendations to the
Council, along with comprehensive staff reports
• Offers policy advice to the City Council
• Establishes a strong working relationship with
members of Council
• Provides information equally to all Councilmembers
• Assists with onboarding/orientation of new
Councilmembers
City
Attorney
• Provides legal advice to the City Council on City
matters
• Approves contract forms, resolutions, ordinances and
other legal documents
• Handles litigation and manages other attorneys
• Ensures compliance with the Brown Act and Rosenberg
Rules and the Council Policy and Procedure Manual
• Advises on requirements for public participation
• Advises on conflicts of interest
• Advises on confidential matters
• Guides, advises, remains neutral
• Assists with onboarding/orientation of new
Councilmembers
• Provides AB 1234 Training
• Manages contracting process, negotiations
• Ensures compliance with laws that affect the City
1. Treat you with respect.
2. Tell you the truth. Give you the “straight scoop.”
3. Treat you as partners as well as my employers.
4. Establish individual relationships with you.
5. Help you be effective collectively as a Council.
6. Communicate with you to keep you as equally informed as possible.
7. Listen to you, and seek to understand you, your role and needs.
8. Do my personal and professional best.
9. Respect your Council-to-Council and Council-to-constituent relationships.
10. Be politically astute but not political.
11. Practice the “no surprise” rule.
12. Provide options, clear analysis and recommendations to Council.
1. Respect the Council/Manager form of government.
2. Allow me to translate your policy interests and priorities to the organization to achieve action.
3. Be clear on your direction as a Council body.
4. Feel free to interact with directors, if City Manager or Deputy City Managers are not available. They are instructed to keep me informed and I ask you to do the same. Please do not direct them.
5. Do not discuss or interfere with the City Manager’s authority on personnel matters.
6. Fix the problem not the blame to help create a “no blame” culture. Scolding occurs out of public view and only to me, not directly to other staff.
7. Be sensitive to the need to pace the organization and to focus on priorities.
8. Use established processes to add issues and advance your interests.
9. Ask your questions in advance of Council meetings.
10. Practice the “no surprise” rule.
24 City Manager’s Commitments to the Council What the City Manager Needs from the Council City Manager Commitments
Discussion of Norms
25 What Councilmembers Would Like to Discuss
26 Being prepared for the
Council meetings
Getting our questions
answered prior to meetings
so we can be more efficient
How best to ensure the
Council is following
Rosenberg’s Rules of Order
(as amended in Council
Policy and Procedure
Manual)
What it means to be “civil
and respectful” to one
another
The role and responsibilities
of members of the Council
Articulating a broader vision
for the City rather than
parochial issues
Discussion of Issues Raised in Interviews
27 What is your definition of being prepared for a
Council meeting?
What does being respectful to one another and the
staff look like to you?
If things appear to be going off track, what can you do in your role to re-center the discussion?
How do you articulate the vision of the City when
meeting with community groups and constituents?
1. We conduct ourselves in a professional manner.
2. We respect open government.
3. We value civil, intelligent public discourse.
4. We seek to be efficient in our meetings.
5. We treat all members of the public with respect.
6. We understand our role in contributing to a
positive workplace environment.
7. We respect the Council-Manager form of
government, and Councilmembers do not interfere
with the role of the City Manager or any
professional duties of City staff.
8. We keep confidential matters confidential.
9. We know a good working relationship between
Councilmembers and with staff fosters good goal
setting, policy making and service delivery.
10. We understand that the Council acts as a body, all
members are equal, and policy direction is only given
by a majority vote of the Council.
11. We understand that staff is obligated to implement
decisions made by the Council, even if one of us
doesn’t agree with the Council’s decision.
12. We are prepared for Council meetings and ask our
questions of staff in advance so we can avoid
surprising staff at the meetings. We know this is good
teamwork.
13. We act with high integrity in all matters and follow our code of ethics.
Norms Agreed to February 2020
28 Norms
29 Which norms are we
doing particularly well
in following?
Which ones need more
attention?
30 Break
Ways to Operationalize Norms
31 Each Councilmember, City Manager,
City Attorney commit to the norms
and protocols
Add to the Council Policy and
Procedures Manual
Add norms to new Councilmember
orientation
32 Council
Training
Rosenberg’s Rules of Order (as amended in Council
Policy and Procedures Manual)
AB 1234 Ethics Training (to be scheduled)
New Mayors and Council Members Academy –
League of California Cities
33 Upcoming
League of
California
Cities Training
• City Leaders Summit to be held April 12-14,
2023
• Annual Conference to be held
September 20 to 22, 2023
• Webinars from the Institute for Local
Government on various topics
34 Commitments
To working productively together on behalf of
the City of Victorville
To follow the norms
To participate in training to continue to increase
knowledge of best practices of governance
35 Wrap Up
Closing
comments
from Council
and City
Manager
Following
through on
commitments
Workshop
report to be
prepared
Athenian Oath Used by
National League of Cities as
a Statement of Civic Virtue
"We will strive unceasingly
to quicken the public's
sense of civic duty…we
will transmit this City not
only, not less, but greater
and more beautiful than
it was transmitted to us.”
Ancient Athens, 4th Century, B.C.
36 City of Victorville
City Council Governance Workshop
Thank you!