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SGS - ACTION ITEM: Report, Discussion, and Recommendation to City Council on Amendments to City Council Policy 3204 (Agendizing Items for Discussion) to Create a New Council Business Section on the City Council Agenda and Other Related Improvements for Agendizing Items for Discussion
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Meeting Date: April 30, 2025
Contact Person/Dept.: Michael Bruckner/City Manager’s Office
Jesse Mays/City Manager’s Office
Phone Number: (310) 253-6023
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Attachments: Yes [X] No []
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (04/25/2025)
Department Approval: Michael Bruckner, Assistant City Manager (04/25/2025) _____________________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Governance Subcommittee discuss and make a recommendation to City Council regarding amendments to City Council Policy 3204 (Agendizing Items for Discussion) to create a New Council Business section on the City Council Agenda and other related improvements.
BACKGROUND
At the April 2, 2025, Standing Governance Subcommittee Meeting (Subcommittee), the Subcommittee received a report (Attachment 1) about creating a new section on the City Council agenda to allow one or more City Council Members to add items for City Council discussion prior to the meeting.
City Council Policy 3204 provides guidelines for how a City Council Member can request an item be placed for discussion on a future City Council agenda. As outlined in the policy, a City Council Member must make a request during a City Council Meeting and get the support of at least two additional Council Members for their item to be discussed. The process is informally called “getting majority consensus” or colloquially as “three nodding heads.” If the item receives support, the City Clerk’s Office notifies the appropriate department(s) and the work is then scheduled for a future meeting depending on urgency, staff workload, and other competing priorities.
In practice, the timing of “consensus” or “nodding heads” requests have come at various times during the meeting. Generally, these requests come during certain portions of the meeting like Community Announcements by Members, Joint Public Comment, but requests have also been made during discussion of Consent Calendar or Actions Items. There is also a standing section of the agenda for Member Request to Agendize Future Items which is dedicated for this purpose.
DISCUSSION
The Subcommittee requested staff prepare draft amendments to City Council Policy 3204-Redline (see redline amendments in Attachment 2) that would allow for a single City Council Member or a combination of two City Council Members to submit an item seeking City Council majority consensus for formal inclusion on a separate section of a City Council Agenda.
Attachment 2 provides additional details to the existing process for City Council Members to request a future agenda item during a City Council meeting. These details are for the purpose of ensuring clarity of the request and confirming the intent of the requesting Council Member(s). See Section III.A of Attachment 2, which is also provided below:
Verbal City Council Member Requests for Future Agenda Items During a City Council Meeting
One or more individual Council Members may request an item be agendized for future discussion and consideration by seeking support from a majority of Council Members during any City Council Meeting to place a subject on a future agenda. In order to avoid any ambiguity or confusion on the record:
1. The City Clerk shall endeavor to either write down the future agenda item request so it can be displayed on the screens in the Council Chambers or repeat back the request to the City Council to ensure clarity of the request and confirm the intent of the requesting Council Member(s).
2. The City Clerk will read into the record the names of the individual Council Members that have indicated their support for the request to agendize the item, to ensure a majority consensus has been obtained.
Attachment 2 also contains a red line of the proposed edits to City Council Policy 3204 to implement the Subcommittee’s recommended changes to allow for Council Member initiated requests to agendize future items to be included on the agenda. See Section III.B of Attachment 2, which is also provided below:
Council Member Initiated Agenda Items - Included on the Agenda
This policy establishes a section on the City Council Agenda titled New Council Business.
1. Any Council Member or combination of two Council Members may place an item on the New Council Business section of the agenda. These requests do not need to be made during a City Council meeting.
2. Council Member initiated agenda requests shall be submitted in a memorandum to the City Manager with a copy to the City Clerk and City Attorney, no later than 12:00PM, seven days prior to the next scheduled City Council Meeting in order to be on the agenda for the next scheduled City Council Meeting.
3. City staff will not prepare a staff report on the items, but will convey the information provided by the Council Member(s) by including a copy of the memorandum in the meeting agenda packet.
4. If the City Council does not obtain a majority consensus to place an item on a future agenda, the sponsoring Council Member or combination of two sponsoring Council Members may not renew the request for the same or substantially similar item for a minimum period of six months unless the request is made by a new City Council Member sponsor(s).
5. The following disclaimer shall be added to the New Council Business section on the agenda:
Per City Council Policy 3204, an individual City Council Member or two City Council Members may submit an item to be agendized for future discussion. These items have not been reviewed by the City Manager or City Attorney and are placed on the agenda for limited discussion consisting of questions or clarifications concerning placement of the items on a future agenda by majority consensus of the City Council. If the City Council does not obtain majority consensus to place an item on a future agenda, the sponsoring Council Member or combination of two sponsoring Council Members may not renew the request for the same or substantially similar item for a minimum period of six months unless the request is made by a new City Council Member sponsor(s).
The City Clerk’s Office has prepared a mock-up City Council Agenda (Attachment 4) to demonstrate how the items will appear on this new section of the agenda. Additionally, a draft memorandum template (Attachment 5) has been created for City Council Members to use to submit their requests to the City Manager as outlined in the revised policy.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
This process will create additional workload requirements in the City Clerk’s Office. Additional costs may be associated with future City Council requests.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Governance Subcommittee Staff Report
2. City Council Policy 3204 DRAFT - Redline
3. City Council Policy 3204 DRAFT - Clean
4. City Council Agenda Mock-Up
5. New Council Business Template
MOTIONS
That the Governance Subcommittee:
Discuss and provide a recommendation to the City Council on a Resolution amending City Council Policy 3204 to create a New Council Business section on the City Council Agenda and other related improvements.