Council News
Get Smarter: The “Consent Agenda”
Note from SCA: Citizens must be attentive to the Consent Agenda based on the reasons outlined below. To be positive, it adds to the efficiency of a meeting by doing a bulk approval of routine items, such as minutes and accounting payments. Beware, it is also a place to tuck items that avoid the scrutiny of residents. For example, the April 8th agenda included blanket spraying of herbicides on the fields in Freeman Park. May 28th had approval of a permit for music at all baseball games and practices, on three fields, in Freeman Park, for the remainder of the summer. Imagine if that had passed without discussion! Don’t be dumbed down. What you don’t know can affect you. _______________________ Ever wondered about the section of the council agenda called “Consent Agenda”? The consent agenda is a tool used to streamline meeting procedures by collecting routine, perceived non-controversial items into
Council Discussion of Agenda “Structure”
At the 9.25.23 work session, the Council talked about agenda structure, more specifically, consent agenda[1] items. Watch the conversation. This Council has a history of controlling resident engagement. Resident initiated Emails, phone calls and Matters From the Floor have been points of anxiety for Council members and residents alike. The Council acknowledged that a member may remove an item and have it placed on the agenda for discussion, later in the meeting. Several Council members were firm that residents cannot remove an item for further discussion, though some other cities allow it. The Council said a resident could contact a member with an item of concern, and that member could remove the item from the consent agenda, at will. If the Council member agrees that the matter deserves Council attention, that member would have up to three minutes to prove their case to support the item being added to a
Growing the Mayor’s term; Downsizing the Commissions
The Mayor A reader may think this is old news, but it has a lasting effect on how votes count. At the February 8, 2014 City Council Retreat (p. 17), it was proposed that the Mayor’s two-year term be changed to four. The reasoning was that a Mayor barely learns the ropes in two years and then must run for re-election. Whereas, extending it to four years softens the learning curve. This item first appeared on the regular City Council Agenda on April 28, 2014 (p. 9) A draft ordinance (#512) was included for passage. Without resident comment, or any supporting data, the Council voted unanimously to approve the decision. During the discussion is was pointed out that resident input was not required. The Mayor’s term is now four years. Whether required to hold a public informational meeting, or not, this change needed voter feedback. The decision directly affects the residents
Council Meeting: “Structure” & Matters From the Floor
The Council discussed the structure of agenda, resident participation in meetings and Matters from the Floor. View the conversation here. Matters from the Floor* presentations from residents is “painful” (watch the Apr. 10, 2023 work session starting at hr. 2:04:10) for Mayor Labadie. After discussion, a majority of the Council resisted allowing any changes to the strict three minute, no Q&A, format now in place. In other words, residents may present their case, but officially, there will be no discussion. Watch the video and form your opinion, starting at hr. 1:18:19. Some Council Members support exercising “caution” because in the past, several residents were perceived as disrespectful to the Council at MTF. A Mapleview Court resident appeared (starting at hr. 08:50) at MTF on June 23, 2023 and thanked the Council for keeping MTF as part of every meeting. SCA Opinion: This forum, restricted as it is, is obviously important
A Council Tied in Knots Over Hearing From Residents
“Every resident should be welcome, feel welcome, approached kindly, listened to, actually considered, and given the same amount of time on the floor as millionaire developers.” – Shorewood Resident
