HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/20/1976MINUTES
ADJOURNED MEETING OF THE.CITY COUNCIL
CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO
TUESDAY, JULY 20, 1976 - 4:00 P.M.
CITY HALL
Pledge
1 Roll Call
PRESENT: Myron Graham, T. Keith Gurnee, Jesse Norris, Steven
Petterson, and Mayor Kenneth E. Schwartz
City Staff
Others
ABSENT: None
PRESENT: R.D. Miller, Administrative Officer; A. Grimes, City
Attorney; J.H. Fitzpatrick, City Clerk; H. Marquez,
Special Assistant to Administrative Officer
PRESENT: Charter Committee Members: F. Gruber, M. Rhodes,
E. Todd, R. Leitcher; and D. Miller
1. Foster Gruber, Chairman, Charter Review Committee, presented the
recommendations of theccommittee for revisions to the 1955 City Charter.
The-committee'-s efforts concentrated on several major fields of consideration
and resulted in the following proposed revisions:
1) The discard of many obviously out- dated-provisions, such as the school
board, the board of equalization, the assessor, etc.
2) The elimination of much of the.duplication and redundancy found in the
1955 Charter, mainly by combining like items and using the best features
of each.
3) The streamlining of the document by re- arranging the many topics into a
logical-and- inter- related - sequence. - - --
4) The inclusion of several major proposed changes:.
a. Strengthening and clarifying the authority and responsibility of both
elected and .appointed officials.
b. Extending the Mayor's term of office from two to four years:
c. The election of the Council by individual seats, although still at large.
d. Limiting.the Mayor and Council members to no more than two successive
terms to the same office.
e. Elimination of mention of specific compensation for either Mayor or
Council members, but leaving -the procedure for determination of amount
as it is now.
f.
Deletion of the provisions for removal of. the. City Administrative Officer.
g.
Provision for initial.probation and
subsequent limited -term contracts
for all.appointed officials:
h.
Substitution of a reference to State .laws in place of the existing
complex description of the Claims procedure.
i.
Establishment of a Personnel Board,.which
is to be brought before the
Council under separate legislation,
and consequent reduction in a
number.of.charter items.relating.to
personnel practices. NOTE: the
City employee associations wanted a
'prevailing wage" survey mandated
in the charter; the committee felt
this was better suited to the
_ordinance to be considered shortly.
City Council Minutes
July 20, 1976
Page Two
j. Elimination of any requirement for specific citizen boards or
commissions, allowing the Council considerable leeway in estab-
lishing and terminating such groups but requiring a description
of their responsibilities as an integral part of the ordinance or
resolution of creation.
These are not the only changes, of course;.there are many detailed but
less apparent.revisions throughout the document, each having its own impact
upon the City's operations. The revised charter has been Submitted to the
City Attorney for comment and certain passages have been-changed to permit
the use of.more legal language as a result.
The City Council, Charter Review Committee Members and Staff then reviewed
and discussed.the.revisions recommended by the committee.
6:20 P.M., the meeting adjourned to Friar Tuck's Refectory Restaurant,
1022 Chorro Street, to continue discussion with the Charter Revision
Committee. The City Council was joined by.members of the Ordinance No. 614
Study Committee.
7:40 P.M. the City Council, Staff, Charter Committee Members and Ordinance
No. 614 Committee Members adjourned to the City Hall Hearing Room.
7:50 P.M. the Council meeting reconvened in.the Hearing Room with the
following persons present:
Council: M. Graham; T.K. Gurnee, J. Norris, S. Petterson,
and Mayor Schwartz
Staff: .:J. Fitzpatrick,.A. Grimes, R. Miller
Ordinance No. 614 Committee Members: F. Gruber, R. Racouillat,
M. Rhodes, D..Hughes, and A. Jack
2. R. Racouillat, Vice Chairman, Ordinance No. 614 Study Committee,
reviewed for the-City Council the recommended-changes and amendments to the
ordinance in light of StateUaib and.Supreme Court decision.
City Council discussed with the committee members the background and reasons
for the changes and amendments to Ordinance No: 614.
On motion.of Councilman.Petterson, seconded.by Councilman Graham.that revised
Ordinance No. 614 be set for public hearing on August 16, 1 076. ?lotion
carried.
3. Mayor Schwartz announced-that-the Charter Revisions would'again
be considered by the Council at 4:00 p.m., Tuesday, July 27, 1976.
4. Meeting adjourned on-motion of Councilman Gurnee,.seconded by
Councilman Graham to Wednesday, July 21 at 12:10 P.M.
APPROVED: August 16, 1976.
J.H. Fit-zpatiickI City Clerk
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