City Council Announcements
December 7, 2006
A. Information Needed by Council Staff
Ms. Gust-Jenson said they spoke the other night about the need to reschedule the Legislative meeting. She said the Council decided on a breakfast. She said the Library room was available. She said they wanted to check with the Council on the dates of Tuesday, January 9th, Wednesday, January 10th or Friday, January 12th , 2007. All Council Members were in favor of Tuesday, January 9th, 2007 for the breakfast.
1. Anonymous Complaints - The City Council received the attached communication from the Community Development Director regarding an increasing pattern of property owners submitting complaints against multiple neighboring properties in retaliation for an initial complaint against their properties. The Planning & Zoning Enforcement Division is proposing to eliminate investigations of anonymous complaints in an effort to help direct the City's limited enforcement resources to those cases that most negatively impact neighborhoods. The proposed change would require that a complainant give his/her name and provide contact information, such as a phone number or address. The communication states that "contact information would only be used for follow-up and court action (should that need arise) and would not be made public under any other circumstance." Council staff confirmed with the City Attorney that contact information can be "protected" under the Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA). The Council may wish to discuss this proposed policy and inquire whether anonymous complaints through the Mayor or Council would also be disregarded. Ms. Gust-Jenson said she would get some more detail from the Administration on this issue.
2. District Outreach Meetings:
Did the Council feel that the District Outreach Meetings worked out well this year?
Does the Council wish to consider scheduling similar meetings in the future?
If so, do you want to schedule them each year, or every other year?
One of the Council Members pointed out that since next year is an election year if these meetings were held the Council may want to consider adjusting the schedule so that the late summer and fall outreach meetings are not held in districts where an election is taking place, or where the incumbent is running for another public office, or the Council may want to consider just holding the outreach meetings in non-election years.
Given the above ideas, here are two options, as well as a sample schedule of the next few years if the Council selects option (b) below.
a. No District Outreach meetings; Council free to continue community meetings in keeping with Council policy*; or,
b. District Outreach meetings scheduled to avoid late summer and fall in districts where an election will be held, yet still considering the previous year’s schedule. (District 6 meeting was held in October and District 4 meeting was held in November, and so it may be too soon to schedule those districts in January or February). Council free to continue community meetings in keeping with Council policy*.
* Note: When the Council increased its emphasis on policy and budget issues it was determined that resources would not allow for District or neighborhood meetings to be held during the budget process (months of May and June). Most Council Members wanted to hold the tours and meetings on location every year but start the tours at 4:00 p.m. in the winter months. Councilmember Simonson traded his August meeting with Councilmember Christensen’s February meeting.
2007 Sample Schedule (Elections will be held in Districts 2, 4 and 6):
2007 Sample Schedule (Elections will be held in Districts 2, 4 and 6):
1. January District Two
2. February District One
3. March District Three
4. April District Six
5. May District Four
6. August District Seven
7. September or October District Five
2008 Sample Schedule:
1. January District One
2. February District Two
3. March District Three
4. April District Four
5. May District Five
6. August District Six
7. September or October District Seven
2009 Sample Schedule: (Elections will be held in Districts 1, 3, 5, 7)
1. January District One
2. February District Three
3. March District Five
4. April District Seven
5. May District Two
6. August District Four
7. September or October District Six