How Can the Public Participate in City Charter Change Proposals?
Will public participants get to have more than 3 minutes to provide input and exchange ideas?
Will the meetings be broadcast?
Will minutes be kept of the meetings?
How will the public be involved?
After the City Council changed their minds on pushing rushed City Charter amendments on the June ballot, the prevailing direction to staff was to attempt a Measure for the November ballot. A number of residents and the Piedmont League of Women Voters asked the Council to defer any action on the important City Charter until discussion and input had involved Piedmonters.
Paul Benoit, City Administrator wants the Council at their March 19, 2018 meeting to Consider a Date for a Council Work Session to Discuss Possible Amendments to the City Charter. John Tulloch, Piedmont City Clerk, wrote the staff report noted below.
Questions immediately arose regarding how the public would be given an opportunity to participate in the significant proposals. The “Work Session” format proposed by Benoit and Tulloch, if following prior meetings noted as “Work Sessions,” will not be broadcast and will be held away from the Council Chambers where cameras are a fixture.
Recent “Work Sessions” have primarily involved financial matters where few, if any, public members are present.
The League of Women Voters had proposed an opportunity for broad community involvement, which a work sessions typically does not provide. A record of the “work sessions” substance and origination of discussion is usually missing.
It has also been pointed out that when the City Charter last had a major review, there was a committee appointed that was open to the public with records kept of recommendations and discussion.
The City Council will consider the matter as the last item on their March 19, 2018 meeting agenda.
The Staff report recommending a Council Work Session on possible City Charter amendments is below: