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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-21-2015 Facilitator NotesCity of San Luis Obispo City Council Workshop Notes Good Governance Definitions: Mayor Jan Marx  Public would be engaged and respectful  Council truly listened to each other and public before making a decision  Mayor to be respected and not run over  Meeting would be civil; positive attitudes  Self-discipline by Council Members in adhering to motion at hand  Respecting the opinion of others even if they disagree Vice Mayor John Ashbaugh  Diversity of opinion  A recognition that even if people aren’t in the room, they are still represented  Stating what is not obvious  Disagreement that is not dismissive Council Member Dan Carpenter  Environment on dais where all opinions are respected and valued and that will build better public participation  Fill the room; allowing opinions to be validated Council Member Carlyn Christianson  Recognize we are a working body on a common task  Get through the agenda  Listen to our staff, the public, and each other  Deliberate as needed; no more/no less  Do our homework  Cognizant; mindfully, emotionally intelligent; respectful Council Member Dan Rivoire  Balancing the need to have thoughtful discussions and good decisions, hold concise, efficient meetings  Drive public engagement City Manager Katie Lichtig  Active Listening going on  Thoughtfulness to the proceedings  Accepting that others have different values; they care about it too  Crisp and concise deliberations  Accepting success or defeat gracefully  Okay to try to persuade; know when to stop City Attorney Christine Dietrick  Complete engagement based on clear and objective information that is presented in a way that is accessible to the public  Council setting the example and using their conduct as to expectations  Trying to be our “better selves”; self reflective about impact Expectations of Chair (Mayor)  Use “out of order” to stop any comments or actions of a Council Member; Council Member will immediately stop behavior or verbal comments;  Mayor will immediately recognize a “point of order”; all discussion will halt to hear the point of order;  As a rule of thumb, Mayor will use a round robin approach, two questions at a time for each Council Member, when asking for Council Member questions after a staff presentation;  The Mayor should use her discretion on all of the above but she has the permission and encouragement of the Council Members to control the meetings in this way;  Mayor should also use the gavel to get compliance, turn off the microphones of Council Members, and/or take a recess if necessary. Expectations of Council Members with Each Other  Listen and obey the Chair/Mayor;  If the Council Member feels the Mayor was unfair in applying her discretion, the discussion of this should occur outside of the Council meeting;  Use “point of order” in order to ensure a fair and focused discussion;  Each Council Member will stop talking if “out of order” is stated by the Mayor or “point of order” is stated by fellow Council Members; the Mayor makes these decisions even when an Council Member disagrees with the ruling, they will abide by the decision;  Use formal titles e.g., “Council Member __________,” when addressing each other; the purpose of this is to reinforce the decorum issue;  Council Members will provide any list of questions they have for staff, on the Friday or weekend before the Council meeting;  A heads up memo or phone call would also be sufficient;  Eliminate side bars between Council Members (per existing policies and procedures manual); Staff will look into providing a split screen image for Council Members in order to make the non-verbal behaviors more apparent to Council Members.