HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/05/2016 15A Councilmember Liason Roles xs .1
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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.
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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
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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.