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Home My WebLink AboutItem 23 - Councilmember-Requested Item Policy City Manager’s Office www.santa-ana.org/city-managers-office Item # 23 City of Santa Ana 20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701 Staff Report March 21, 2023 TOPIC: Councilmember-Requested Item Policy AGENDA TITLE Councilmember-Requested Item Policy Informational Report RECOMMENDED ACTION Accept informational report and provide direction to staff. DISCUSSION Background At the August 16, 2022 meeting, Councilmember Phan added the following councilmember requested item: Discuss and Consider Directing Staff to Implement a Process that Will Allow the City Council to More Efficiently and Effectively Present Councilmember Requested Items on the Agenda. There was consensus among the City Council to proceed with this item. City Council Legislative Authority and City Council Meeting Agendas As the legislative body of the City of Santa Ana, the City Council’s role is to legislate—or to set policy. The City Council is empowered to enact local laws, approve programs, appropriate funds, establish local taxes, and approve other local government actions through its legislative authority. This function is primarily carried out through City Council action at regularly scheduled City Council meetings. City Council meetings are guided by an agenda, which consists of items relating to the City of Santa Ana local government. Matters of policy are ordinarily determined by a majority vote of the City Council on each agenda item. In some cases, a two-thirds vote of the City Council is required (e.g. for appropriation adjustments). Under the Council-Manager form of government, under the leadership of the City Council, the City Manager sets the agenda and the City Clerk prepares the agenda. Councilmember-Requested Items Section 411 of the Santa Ana City Charter states, in part, that “any member of the City Council may place items on the City Council agenda to be considered by the City Council”. Councilmember-requested items are discussion items only; the City Council Councilmember Requested Item Policy March 21, 2023 Page 2 3 3 1 3 does not take any action. Councilmember-requested items may include any issue within the City Council’s jurisdiction, such as requests for policy research, drafting resolutions and ordinances, and providing direction to City staff relating to the implementation and/or evaluation of a policy. The City Council Handbook, which is prepared annually by the City Manager’s Office and City Clerk’s Office, provides administrative guidance on certain procedures relating to the City Council, including councilmember-requested items. Regarding councilmember-requested items, the current edition of the City Council Handbook states the following: COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM Any member of the City Council may place items on the agenda that are staff directives or policy changes. They are listed on the agenda pursuant to Charter § 411. Items may be added by emailing the Clerk of the Council and City Manager. The “Council Agenda Item” provision of the City Council Handbook is the only written guidance that exists relating to councilmember-requested items. At the August 16, 2022 meeting, members of the City Council discussed the creation of a policy to provide guidance to the City Council, with the goal of presenting councilmember-requested items to facilitate efficient and effective discussion among the members of the City Council. Specifically, the City Council discussed the creation of a policy that might include the following elements: •Each councilmember-requested item is accompanied by a written report that outlines the following: o Topic: Use plain language to describe the topic of the report. o Title: Describe the action and subject of the report. o Recommendation: Identify the action that you would like the City Council to take. o Discussion: Provide a brief chronology of the item. Identify issues. If there is a provision of law, rule, policy, and/or previous City Council action related to this item, note it in this section. Provide a brief explanation of the item, focusing on data collection, analysis, and evaluation, which justifies your recommendation. •Prior to the report being published as part of the City Council meeting agenda, the councilmember confers with the City Manager, City Clerk, and City Attorney to inform them of the councilmember-requested item. •Once the report is written and after the councilmember has conferred with the City Manager, City Clerk, and City Attorney, the councilmember submits the report to the City Manager’s Office and City Clerk’s Office to be added to an upcoming City Council meeting agenda. The report must be submitted by 12 p.m. on the established due dates to ensure compliance with the City’s Sunshine Ordinance (see Sec. 2-150 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code). Councilmember Requested Item Policy March 21, 2023 Page 3 3 3 1 3 Currently, there is no policy approved by the City Council relating to placing councilmember-requested items on the agenda. Proposed City Council Policy Regarding Councilmember-Requested Items Based off of input provided by members of the City Council at their meeting on August 16, 2022, staff has prepared the attached draft City Council Policy Regarding Councilmember-Requested Items (Exhibit 1). The draft policy includes a Councilmember-Requested Item template to be used by the requesting councilmember to submit the councilmember-requested item. Next Steps The City Council has the following options to consider relating to this matter: 1. Accept informational report and direct staff to return with a resolution adopting the City Council Policy Regarding Councilmember-Requested Items. 2. Direct staff to return with additional information. 3. Take no action. Staff recommends that the City Council accept the informational report and direct staff to return with a resolution adopting the City Council Policy Regarding Councilmember- Requested Items. FISCAL IMPACT There is no fiscal impact associated with this action. EXHIBIT(S) 1. Draft City Council Policy Regarding Councilmember-Requested Items Submitted By: Kristine Ridge, City Manager Approved By: Kristine Ridge, City Manager City of Santa Ana Administrative Policies and Procedures City Council Adoption Date: [month], [day], [year] City Council Policy Regarding Councilmember-Requested Items PURPOSE Provide guidance to the City Council, with the goal of presenting councilmember- requested items to facilitate efficient and effective discussion among the members of the City Council. POLICY The City Manager and City Clerk shall publish a councilmember-requested item in accordance with the City of Santa Ana’s Sunshine Ordinance (Santa Ana Municipal Code Section 2-150) and in accordance with the procedures below. The agenda item shall include a written description that is sufficient to apprise interested persons of the subject matter of the discussion to be conducted. PROCEDURE In accordance with Chapter 9, Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 5 of the California Government Code beginning with Section 54950 (the Ralph M. “Brown Act”), Santa Ana City Charter Section 411 (“Rules and Procedures”), City Council Resolution 2013-019 (“A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Santa Ana Amending the City Council Rules and Procedures to Establish Procedures for Calling Special Meetings, Altering the Agenda Format to Provide for Council Reports, Changing the Day of Regular Council Meetings, and Repealing Resolution No. 2012-025”), and all other applicable laws and regulations, members of the City Council may add a councilmember- requested item to a City Council meeting agenda for discussion only by completing the following procedures: 1. The member of the City Council prepares a written report using the attached Councilmember-Requested Item template (Attachment A) that outlines the following: A. Topic: Use plain language to describe the topic of the report. B. Title: Describe the action and subject of the report. C. Recommendation: Identify the action that you would like the City Council to take. D. Discussion: Provide a brief chronology of the item. Identify issues. If there is a provision of law, rule, policy, and/or previous City Council action related to this item, note it in this section. Provide a brief explanation of the item, focusing on data collection, analysis, and evaluation, which justifies your recommendation. Page 2 E. The member of the City Council confers with the City Manager, City Clerk, and City Attorney in writing to inform them of the councilmember- requested item. 2. The written communication from the member of the City Council to the City Manager, City Clerk, and City Attorney includes the written report, using the Councilmember-Requested Item template, as described in Section 1 of this section. A. The written communication from the member of the City Council to the City Manager, City Clerk, and City Attorney must be submitted by no later than 12:00 p.m. on the regular City Council meeting agenda publishing due date, in accordance with the established due dates to ensure compliance with the City’s Sunshine Ordinance (see Sec. 2-150 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code). 3. Once the report is written and after the member of the City Council has conferred with the City Manager, City Clerk, and City Attorney in writing, the councilmember submits the report to the City Manager’s Office and City Clerk’s Office to be added to an upcoming City Council meeting agenda. A. The report must be submitted by no later than 12:00 p.m. on the regular City Council meeting agenda publishing due date, in accordance with the established due dates to ensure compliance with the City’s Sunshine Ordinance (see Sec. 2-150 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code). City Council www.santa-ana.org/city-council Item # 22 City of Santa Ana 20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701 Councilmember-Requested Item Report [month], [day], [year] TOPIC: [use plain language to describe the topic of the report] AGENDA TITLE: [describe the action and subject of the report] RECOMMENDED ACTION [identify the action that you would like the City Council to take, keeping in mind that the councilmember-requested item is for discussion only] DISCUSSION [Provide a brief chronology of the item. Identify issues. If there is a provision of law, rule, policy, and/or previous City Council action related to this item, note it in this section.] [Provide a brief explanation of the item, focusing on data collection, analysis, and evaluation, and which justifies your recommendation.] EXHIBIT(S) 1. [list any attachments you include in your report] Submitted By: [councilmember]