HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 06-16-2011 - 3ORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: June 16, 2011
Action Agenda
Item No.
SUBJECT: County Commissioners: Discussion on Various Board Procedures
DEPARTMENT: Board of Commissioners
PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No
ATTACHMENT(S): Under Separate Cover
Attachment 1 -Decision Points
INFORMATION CONTACT:
Clerk's Office, 245-2130
PURPOSE: To consider and discuss various board procedures.
BACKGROUND: The Board of Commissioners had indicated during the past several months
that it would like the opportunity to discuss at a work session its various Board procedures and
revise as needed as well as update its adopted "Rules of Procedure for the Board of County
Commissioners".
FINANCIAL IMPACT: None.
RECOMMENDATION(S): The. Manager recommends the Board review and discuss the various
Board procedures as well as the "Rules of Procedure for the Board of County Commissioners"
and .provide direction to staff.
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Attachment 1
Decision Points for BOCC
1. Petitions to the Board by Board Members- Process for Commissioners
to Place an Item on a Regular Board Meeting Agenda
Excerpt from the Approved Minutes from the March 15, 2011 BOCC Regular
Meeting:
4-I. Process for a Member of the Board of Commissioners to Place an Item
on a Meeting Agenda
The Board approved the process for a member of the Board of Commissioners to
place an item on a Board meeting agenda indicating a petition could be either
stated orally or in written form and there is not a vote but it goes through the
process of review by the Chair/Vice ChairlManager. Each Board member will
then be given three minutes total for petitions. The Board then directed staff to
incorporate the necessary changes into the Board's Rules of Procedure and the
agenda face sheets for regular -Board meetings
Decision Point
• Does-the Board want to continue with the adopted process for Petitions to
the Board by Board Members as stated above or revise this process?
2. Joint Meetings with other Parties
Currently, the Board meets with elected governing boards as well as internal
boards and commissions on an annual basis. It recently has been suggested to
meet with other entities (such- as the Fire Chiefs/Fire Department Board Chairs)
to discuss a particular, time sensitive issue (Fire/EMS Study) and/or elected
officials to discuss an on-going topic (Rogers Road Mitigation).
Decision Points:
Does the Board want to meet on an as-needed basis with these groups
when a particular issue arises since there is no public comment at work
sessions?
• Are there criteria to be applied?
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3. Possib/e Limit on Time for Public Comments on Items Not on the
Printed Agenda/ Items on the Printed Agenda
The Board has in the past followed an "unwritten rule" of allowing only a one hour
comment period for all "Items Not on the Printed Agenda," while still allowing
unlimited comment periods for "Items on the Printed Agenda."
Decision Points:
• Does the Board want to formalize the one hour limit on public comment for
"Items Not on the Printed Agenda" as part of the Board Rules and
Procedures?
• Does the Board want to consider implementing a time limit on public
comment for "Items on the Printed Agenda"?
4. Recognitions
The Board does not currently have a standing policy or process (outside of
the petitions process) for requests from Board members as relates to
recognizing an individual, group or corporate entity's accomplishments at a
8000 Regular meeting.
Decision Points:
• Does. the Board- want to adopt a formalized policy/process as relates to
recognition requests?-
• If so, what criteria/timeframe would Board like to see as relates to these
types of recognitions?
5. Mandatory Adjournment-Time
The Board currently has a 10:30pm adjournment time. The Board discussed
amending its start time to 7:OOpm on February 17, 2010, but left the adjournment
time at 10:30pm. However,_ in holding with past precedents, the Chair would-call
to the Board's attention that was adjournment time and would take a Board vote
to see if the Board would like to either adjourn the meeting or continue the
meeting.
The Board's Rules of Procedure state in two places:
Rule 11 -Agenda:
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ff there is no objection, the chair may call items in any order most convenient for the
dispatch of business. The meeting will end at 10:30 unless there is a unanimous vote of
the Board to continue beyond that time.
Rule 20, Procedural Motions (2.):
To Adjourn. The motion may be made- at the conclusion of action on a
pend-ing matter; it may not interrupt deliberation of a pending matter.
Comment: This motion differs from the Robert's Rules of Order
motion in several respects. In Robert's Rules of Order, it is not
debatable or amendable and can be made at any time, even
interrupting substantive deliberations. In view of the small
number of members and the available procedures to -limit
debate, this rule allows debate and amendment of the motion to
adjourn. but allows the motion to adjourn only when action on a
pending matter is over. The motion to defer consideration or to
postpone to a certain time or day may be used if the board
wants to adjourn before completing action on a matter.
Decision Points:
Does the Board want to proceed with a mandatory adjournment time, with
the Chair call-ing the 10:30pm time and asking the Board to vote on
continuance of the meeting.?
Or would the Board prefer to continue as it has with the meeting
continuing until all agenda items are discussed?
6. Appointment Process:
The current boards/commissions appointment process listed in the Board's -Rules
of Procedures will need to be revised based on the outcome of the discussion on
the Generic Advisory Board Policy.
7. Updates to be incorporated into Board's Rules of Procedure
Decision Points:
• Meeting Time (to be officially changed to 7:00 pm) -Pages 10, 11
• Add an Item to the agenda - Section V -Rule 9 -This section may need
to be reconciled with the Board's framework for individual Commissioners
petitioning the Board on an agenda item.
The Board's Rules of Procedure currently state: (this was changed when board
added two members)
`The board may, by approval of four of its members, i.e. an affirmative vote equal to
a quorum, add an item that is not on the agenda.
Comment Because of the increased volume and oomple~dty of the matters they
must consider, nearly all boards use an agenda. Some boards use an agenda only
to organize the material they must consider and to give themselves an opportunity to
study the issues before they meet. These boards generally allow last-minute
additions to the agenda by general consent. This rule takes that approach. Other
boards use their agenda to control the length of their meetings. Often a board that
uses its agenda for this purpose will hold a work session before the regular meeting
to ask questions and thoroughly e~lore the proposals that must be voted on at the
regular meeting. Generally these boards take a stricter approach and do not allow
late additions to the agenda unless an emergency e~asts.
• Order of Business -Page 16 -Update to Current Order (when formally
adopted)
Public Charge -Page 17 -Change "citizens" and "citizen" to "residents"
• or "resident" or "the public"
• Others changes as needed.