HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/10/2010 00 Action Agenda ACTION ON
YAKIMA CITY COUNCIL
ADJOURNED MEETING — STUDY SESSION
AUGUST 10, 2010 — 8:00 -9:30 A.M.
COUNCIL CHAMBERS — YAKIMA CITY HALL
1. Roll CaII
Present:
Council: Mayor Micah Cawley, presiding, Assistant Mayor Kathy Coffey,
Council Members Maureen Adkison, Dave Edler, Rick Ensey,
Dave Ettl and Bill Lover
Staff: City Manager Zais, City Attorney Cutter and City Clerk Kloster
Guests: Richard Yukubousky, Executive Director of Municipal Research
Services Center (MRSC) and Mike McCarty, CEO of Association of
Washington Cities (AWC)
2. Mayor - Council / Council- Manager forms of government
City Manager Zais gave opening statements and introduced Mr. Yukubousky and
Mr. McCarty. Mr. Yukubousky described the services MRSC provides and
distributed information that compared /contrasted the Mayor - Council and Council -
Manager forms of government.
Mike McCarty explained the role of AWC and detailed the services his
organization provides, particularly advocating, educating and providing cost -
effective services, such as the Employee Benefit Trust. He indicated AWC
depends of the expertise from both forms of govemment to accomplish their
goals.
After further discussion and responses to questions, City Attorney Cutter
explained the process of amending the Charter, which is necessary to change
the form of govemment, and the methods that exist to place this issue on the
ballot for public vote.
3. Audience Comments (9:15 — 9:30 a.m.)
Tom Allen thanked Mr. Zais for his thirty-seven years of service to the City of
Yakima. He suggested Council not make the decision to change the form of
government administratively, but to involve the community's input in their
decision.
Glenn Rice also thanked Mr. Zais and the Council for their service to the public.
He believes there are serious problems and much turmoil in cities that have a
Mayor - Council form of government. Our current form of government has worked
for many years and we should celebrate that form instead of thinking of changing
it.
Jerry Foy was a former mayor in Aberdeen, Washington under the Mayor-
Council form of government. He stated that as mayor, his position was not only
political, but required him to be a good negotiator with good business sense.
ACTION: Motion carried to set a public hearing during a regular Council
business meeting to ask for citizens' input on the current form of government and
the possibility of changing to a Mayor - Council form of government. VOTE:
Unanimous
4. Adjournment — 9:35 a.m.
ACTION: Motion carried to adjourn to the next business meeting (August 17,
2010). VOTE: Unanimous
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