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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 03-15-2011- 4lGRANGE CGUNTY BGARD GF CGMMISSIGNERS ACT[GN AGENDA [TEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: March 15, 2411 Action Agenda Item No. q- - I SUBJECT: Process for a Member of the Board of Commissioners to Piace an Item on a Meetin A ends DEPARTMENT: Board of Commissioners PUBLIC HEAR[NG: ~YIN~ No ATTACHMENT~S~: Excerpt from February 8, 2011 Draft BDCC Minutes [NFGRMATIGN CGNTACT: Clerk's Gffice, 245-2130 PURPGSE: Ta approve the process for a member of the Board of Commissioners to place an item on a Board meeting agenda. BACKGRGUND: The Rules of Procedures for the Board of County Commissioners currently address the process for a commissioner to request an item be placed on a Board meeting agenda. Section V reads as follows: V. Agenda Rule 9. Agenda. ~a} The county manager shall prepare the agenda for each regular, special and emergency meeting subject to review and approval by the chair and vice-chair. A request to have an hem of business placed on the agenda must be received by 12 noon, Monday of the week prior to the meeting. Any board member may, by a ~mely request, have an hem placed on the agenda. At its February 8, 2011 work session, the Board discussed changes to this process and agreed by consensus "that petitions by the Commissioners would be after Public Comments. ~"he Board agreed that the petition could be either slated orally or in written fora and there is not a vote but it just goes through the process of review by the Chair/l/ice Chair/l~ar~ager. Each Board member will be given three minutes total for petitions." The full text excerpt from the February 8, 2011 draft minutes is attached. FINANCIAL IMPACT: None. RECGMMENDATIGN~S}: The Manager recommends the Board approve the change to the process for a member of the Board of Commissioners to place an item on a Board meeting agenda as outlined above and direct staff to incorporate the necessary changes into the Board's Rules of Procedure and the agenda facesheets for regular Board meetings. EXCERPT FROM February 8, 2011 BOCC MEETING -DRAFT MINUTES 3. Discussion on the Process for a Member of fhe Board of Commissioners to Place an Item on a Board Meetin A ends Chair Pelissier said that there is a Board of County Commissioners' procedure that addresses this already, but it is not followed regularly. The normal procedure is to petition each other during County Commissioners' comments and ask to have an item placed on an agenda. She does not think that this is a perfect process. She said that only one Commissioner should not be able to put something on the agenda because it requires a lot of staff time. Commissioner Hemminger said that she does not like the prior policy because it is not a public arena and if you bring it up at meeting, then Board members can weigh in and then fellow the same process as above. She said that this needs to be public and it should go through the process as items brought forth by the public. Chair Pelissier asked if everyone agreed that these items should be brought up at public meetings. Everyone but Commissioner Gordon agreed. Commissioner Gordon said that she would like to have some kind of balance between being hit with something at a meeting and having it submitted in a timely process for agenda review. A Ivt of times the County Commissioners' comments are late at night. Commissioner Jacobs said that he does have a strong feeling on how a Commissioner puts an item on the agenda, He said that a Commissioner should not be put to a higher standard than the public. Cvmmissione~ Mcl~Cee agreed with Commissioner Jacobs. He said that if there was an item that was not necessarily popular with the rest of the Board, then it would never be on an agenda if there was a vote. Frank Clifton said that his career has not always been with a Board such as this that is very cooperative and works together. He said that you have to be careful with saying that any Board member can bring an agenda item because a future Board could be more divisive. Chair Pelissier said that her concern is that there would be items that two County Commissioners want that would take up an enormous amount of staff time. It was noted that perhaps there should be a consideration ofwhether the request would take more than two hours of staff time. Commissioner Jacobs said that he has no problem going to the Chair, Vice Chair, and Managerforreview, but he feels very strongly about anything that puts the County Commissioners to a higher standard than the public. Commissioner Hemminger suggested having County Commissioners bring up these items during public comment. Commissioner Foushee said that it would be helpful to institute a section in the meetings for the County Commissioners to bring forth petitions as does the public. It would follow the same process. Commissioner Yuhasz agreed with Commissioner Foushee and Commissioner Jacobs, but he thinks that the number of petitions that any individual Commissioner can bring at any one meeting should be limited. He thinks that it should come immediately after the public comments. Chair Pelissier asked if there was consensus to create a new item vn the agenda that would be called "Petitions by the Board of County Commissioners", and the same process would be used that is used for requests from the public, which is to refer it to the Chair, Vice-Chair, and Manager for review. 3 Commissioner Gordon~asked about the form that the County Commissioners would bring these items forward, She .asked when it would be appropriate for a Commissioner to ask about something that had already been brought up before. She would think that in that case it would be under Board Comments. The consensus is ~ha~ petitions by the Commissioners would be afier Public Commenis. Tne Board agreed fhat the pe~ifion could be eiif~er s~a~ed oraiiy or in written farm and there is not a vote bud r`f~usi goes ~f~rough the process of review by the Cnairl~Iice Chair/Manager. Each Board member will be gr'ven three minutes dotal for petr'tr'ons. Commissioner Yuhasz said that he does not want this process to preclude the possibility of asking for more information on an item, This new standard will be brought forth in writing tv the Board, for the Board's review and approval.