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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 05-03-2018 Item 4 - Policy on Board Petitions and Board Members’ Requests to Staff ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: May 3, 2018 Action Agenda Item No. 4 SUBJECT: Policy on Board Petitions and Board Members’ Requests to Staff DEPARTMENT: Manager ATTACHMENT(S): Guidelines for Commissioner Requests for Information from County Staff INFORMATION CONTACT: Bonnie Hammersley, 245-2300 PURPOSE: To discuss the Board’s process for addressing petitions made by Board members at regular meetings and requests that individual Board members may make to staff for reports, research data and/or information outside of regular Board meetings. BACKGROUND: At the Board of Commissioners’ March 20, 2018 regular meeting, a petition was submitted that the Board review its policy on Board petitions, requests from a single Board member, and the staff time commitment associated with the request. Members of the Board of Commissioners voice petitions for information, reports to be developed, letters to be written, etc. as part of regular Board meetings. The Manager documents these petitions and then reviews them with the Board Chair and Vice Chair for any additional information, concerns, and direction. The Manager then directs the subject matter to the appropriate County staff for follow-up, and the designated staff member(s) sends an acknowledgement to the entire Board confirming that the matter is being addressed. The staff member(s) subsequently reports back to the full Board with conclusions, outcomes, or other information with a presentation at a Board meeting, an Information Item included on a regular meeting agenda, and/or via email. Members of the Board may also individually, or in conjunction with other members of the Board, be in contact with County staff outside of Board meetings and make requests to staff for information, reports to be developed, letters to be written, etc. Staff members move forward to address those requests and subsequently report back to the Board member(s) with conclusions, outcomes, or other information. Staff sharing the results sometimes occurs with a presentation at a Board meeting, an Information Item including on a regular meeting agenda, and/or via email. It also sometimes occurs only with the individual Board member or those members who joined in the request. In both instances above, the petitions and requests have an impact on staff responsibilities, priorities, and time. To address this concern, the Board of Commissioners adopted the attached “Guidelines for Commissioner Requests for Information from County Staff” in 2002. The Guidelines provide a framework to assess requests and a review process, especially as it relates to established priorities and duties and the staff time required to address a request. The process entails the Manager and the Board Chair reviewing the request and addressing any concerns identified. 1 This item gives the Board the opportunity to discuss the Board’s process for addressing petitions made by Board members at regular meetings and requests that individual Board members may make to staff for reports, research data and/or information outside of regular Board meetings. The Board likely also needs to review the attached Guidelines for any updates or revisions. FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact associated with discussing the Board’s process for addressing petitions made by Board members at regular meetings and requests that individual Board members may make to staff for reports, research data and/or information outside of regular Board meetings. SOCIAL JUSTICE IMPACT: There is no Orange County Social Justice Goal impact associated with discussing the Board’s process for addressing petitions made by Board members at regular meetings and requests that individual Board members may make to staff for reports, research data and/or information outside of regular Board meetings. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board discuss the Board’s process for addressing petitions made by Board members at regular meetings and requests that individual Board members may make to staff for reports, research data and/or information outside of regular Board meetings, and provide any direction to staff. 2 February 2002 APPROVED Orange County Board of Commissioners Guidelines for Commissioner Requests For Information from County Staff Purpose: To establish guidelines for Commissioners and staff for addressing individual Commissioner’s requests for information, reports, memoranda, or similar information from County staff. The Board of Commissioners’ interests in establishing these guidelines are as follows: • To clarify for Commissioners and staff when requests should be addressed to the Manager or department head or when the request may require the full Board’s consideration. • On behalf of the full Board, to assure there is an opportunity to consider as a Board, Commissioner requests that will involve significant staff time and impact existing goals and priorities. • While acknowledging the Manager and staff’s willingness to respond to Commissioners requests, to assure that there is opportunity in the process for appropriate consideration - by the Manager or, as necessary, by the Board - of priorities and any need for re-prioritization. Note: In the instance of Commissioners’ requests to the Clerk to the Board, the Board has in place protocols for working with the Clerk. This procedure does not apply to requests to the Clerk to the Board except as such requests involve the Clerk obtaining information from County departments. In such case the Clerk addresses the request to the Manager. Guidelines A. Requests Outside of Board of Commissioners’ Meetings 1. Copies of Existing Information If a County Commissioner wants copies of existing information, reports, agenda abstract or similar information, the Commissioner may request the information from the Manager or directly from the department head involved. The Manager or department head involved responds directly to the request as soon as possible. In this instance, it is not necessary to provide the information to any Commissioner other than the requesting Commissioner. 2. Additional Information Requiring Limited Staff Work (Less than Two Hours) When a County Commissioner requests additional information that may require limited additional work such as two hours or less, the Commissioner may direct the request to the department head or the Manager. The Manager or department head 3 -2- involved responds directly to the request as soon as possible. If the department head is contacted directly he or she advises the Manager of the request. In this instance, the additional information generated is provided to all Commissioners. 3. Additional Information Requiring Significant Staff Work (More than Two Hours) When a County Commissioner requests additional information that may require significant additional staff work such as a new report or amendments to an existing report, the Commissioner makes the request to the Manager. If a department head receives such a request directly and, after examining it, determines the request will require significant additional staff work, he or she refers the request to the Manager for the Manager’s review. If in the Manager’s opinion the request will require significant work, the Manager reviews the request with the Board Chair. The Manager and the Board Chair discuss how the request relates to the Board’s goals and priorities. As necessary, the Board Chair discusses the request with the involved County Commissioner or all Commissioners to reach a decision on whether to have staff provide the requested information. B. Requests During Board of Commissioners’ Meetings (Follow Up Items) During Commissioners’ comments or in the course of discussion of a particular Board meeting item, a Commissioner may make a request for additional information. 1. If based on the experience of the Board Chair, another Commissioner who has knowledge of the subject, or the Manager such request would seem to involve significant time (more than several hours), it is the responsibility of the Board Chair, other Commissioner or Manager to bring this to the attention of the Board. In this way, the Board may decide whether it wishes to pursue the staff time investment required by the request. Also in this way the Board will understand that the request will require more time, that it may not be possible to bring the information back by the next meeting agenda and that it may impact other work priorities. For example, the Public Safety Study arose as a follow up item to the Board’s Comments. The decision was to pursue the study as an important objective for the Board. This did require significant additional time and did impact other work priorities. 2. If, as in most cases, the item does not require the above level of consideration, the Manager will address the request and report back to the Board. Approved by the Board of County Commissioners on March 6, 2002 4