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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/05/2016 15A Councilmember Liason Roles xs .1 4 s. n. BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL YAKIMA, WASHINGTON AGENDASTATEMENT Item No. 15.A. For Meeting of: July 5, 2016 ITEM TITLE: Councilmember Liaison Roles SUBMITTED BY: Sara Watkins, Senior Assistant City Attorney SUMMARY EXPLANATION: See attached. ITEM BUDGETED: STRATEGIC PRIORITY: STAFF RECOMMENDATION: BOARD /COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION: ATTACHMENTS: Description Upload Date Type D merno 6124/2016 Cmer Memo CITY OF Y A MA LEGAL DE p 200 South Third Street, Yakima, Washington ' : I (509 . RI Fax (509)575-6160 MEMORANDUM June 24, 2016 TO Mayor Avina Gutierrez; Councilmembers Dulce Gutierrez, Carmen Mendez, Bill Lover, Holly Cousens, Kathy Coffey & Maureen Adkison; Interim City Manager Jeff Cutter FROM: Sara Watkins, Senior Assistant City Attorney SUBJECT: Councilmember Liaison Roles Dear Honorable Mayor, Councilmembers and Interim City Manager: With the City Council members now participating in numerous committees, in some cases as a Council liaison to committees serving the City's interests, it appeared to be a good time to provide some general information to the Council members serving in the liaison roles to assist them in the performance of these rather unique positions. After you have reviewed this information please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. 1. City Council liaisons—background. Councilmembers nominate members of its four main Strategic Priorities committees to serve as liaisons to other commissions, committees and boards that reside "under" each of the four Strategic Priority committees (NCBC, Partnerships, Economic Development and Public Safety). I have not identified any provision in the Yakima Municipal Code that requires such liaison placement or that provides an outline of the purpose for having a council member serve as a liaison to advisory bodies. This may be something that the Council wishes to incorporate into the municipal code to better define the assigned member's roles and responsibilities as appointed liaisons. Some jurisdictions have specific code sections that outline the purpose, roles and responsibilities with regards to council member liaisons. Other jurisdictions include this information in policies and procedures of certain advisory or other committees that include Council liaisons. 1 Committee Liaisons June 24, 2016 Page 2 For purposes of this memo, I am going to refer to all commissions, committees, advisory committees, and other advisory boards created by the City Council as "committees." 2. What is a council person's role as a committee liaison? Committees are generally advisory in nature and provide insight, findings and advice to the City Council, who, as a group, openly determines the final outcome. For example, the Planning Commission has no authority to adopt changes to the land use code, but it does provide findings of fact, holds public hearings, and advises the Council on land use code updates. The City Council, after reviewing the findings and other information from the Planning Commission, then engages in its own process and makes the ultimate decision—to either agree, agree in part or disagree with the Commission's report. In such a system, a council member liaison position is created to aid the committee. It is good to have a link from the City Council as a liaison to a committee because most often the City Council is the body assigning tasks to the committee to address. Therefore, if a committee needs clarification for the Council's reasoning for sending something to them for review, advice and/or recommendation, a representative of the Council is available to answer those questions. Overall, the purpose of a liaison role in committees is to serve as a communication contact on behalf of the City Council. The councilmember represents the Council as a whole at the meetings and serves in his or her capacity as a representative of the Council body, not as an individual. 3. Why it is beneficial to have councilmembers as liaisons on committees, and some potential downsides. It is beneficial for councilmembers to be assigned liaison roles on committees for the reasons set forth above. Committees are made up of volunteer residents who are not always familiar with local government, local code provisions, or procedures. Members may not always be able to watch council meetings live or rebroadcast, and may not be aware of Council discussion on topics that ultimately are sent to the committee for review and comment. As such, having a councilmember on the committee as a liaison can bridge the gap and help explain the "why" behind the issue being sent to the committee. The councilmember can also help the committee understand exactly what information and advice the Council is seeking before the Council makes the ultimate decision. This helps committee members feel that their time is not being wasted and Committee Liaisons June 24, 2016 Page 3 that they are making a difference by providing the Council with the relevant information the Council is seeking. Councilmember liaisons can also provide a brief report to the Council as a whole to keep other councilmembers apprised as to the work and progress of committees. Updates can also provide information to constituents about specific topics of interest that were sent to committees for review, research and advice. Having liaisons at committee meetings does have some potential downside, however. Strong leaders may find it difficult to be passive at meetings, or hold their opinions to themselves. Further, having councilmembers present can, in some circumstances, provide a crutch to committees without strong leadership, allowing committee members to simply engage in discourse with the liaison to work towards an outcome, rather than doing their own independent research and work. Committee members, without any prompting by liaisons, may defer to comments made or actions taken by the liaison, rather than forming an independent opinion. A challenging balancing act is necessary for the liaison to represent the Council as a whole in a liaison capacity and not provide personal opinions while listening to others' opinions and thoughts on a specific topic that a councilmember will ultimately have in front of him or her to make a final decision on. 4. Tips for councilmembers in their roles as liaisons to committees. Here are some suggested tips to help councilmembers further understand their roles as liaisons at committee meetings: 1. The purpose of the liaison role is to serve as a communication contact with the committee on behalf of the City Council. The liaison should not attempt to influence the committee to endorse or validate the liaison's personal point of view on an issue. 2. Council liaisons should notify the committee chair that they may not be in attendance at every meeting, and be considerate in trying to inform chairs of committees, or staff members assigned to committees, of whether they will attend or not attend meetings. It is understood that sometimes it is impossible to inform the chair of attendance, but liaisons should try to do so if reasonably possible. 3. Council liaisons should maintain a passive role at all meetings, serving in an advisory capacity and as a bridge between the specific committee and the City Council. 4. Council liaisons should respond to questions if asked, but should not direct the committee towards specific actions or activities. Further, liaisons should not impact the outcome of a decision or vote through comments or actions. Committee Liaisons June 24, 2016 Page 4 There should be no attempt to influence the committee's recommendations or actions. 5. If a liaison is asked for his or her personal opinion by a committee member, the liaison should make it clear that their opinion is their own and does not reflect the opinion of the full Council.