Mayor & City Council

COUNCIL ORIENTATION MINUTES College Park City Council Saturday, December 14, 2019 Davis Hall, 9217 51st Avenue 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. PRESENT: Mayor Wojahn; Councilmembers Kabir, Kennedy, Brennan, Dennis, Day, Rigg, Mackie and Mitchell. ABSENT: None. ALSO PRESENT: Scott Somers, City Manager; Bill Gardiner, Assistant City Manager; Terrie Glass, Zelos. City Attorney Suellen Ferguson attended a portion of the meeting. 1. Presentation – legal matters: Ms. Ferguson presented on legal matters that the Mayor and Councilmembers may face as members of the elected body and answered questions. 2. Governance: A. Team Building: • The balance between teamwork and “One Voice” when there are different voices in the community • The need for a better understanding of the issues and better marketing to the community • Complexity of some issues; relying on staff • Speaking up; controlling emotions • Having the courage of convictions; don’t respond to the loudest voice. • Learning to forge consensus; allow all ideas to come forward. • More effective outward communication • Foster an environment for more discussion and debate at the dais • Revise question process during Worksessions to allow a more direct conversation to occur. B. “Roles and Responsibilities” in the organization: • Mayor • Councilmembers • City Manager • City Attorney 3. Working Productively as a Council: Council discussed John Carver and Miriam Carver’s Guidance on Policy Making and Keeping Council Focused on Higher Level Concerns: • Keeping the appropriate focus as a Council – avoiding operational details. • Concept of “One Voice” • Create policies that are maximally broad AND within which the City Manager could make any reasonable decision • If Council creates a policy and then, in practice, Council realizes that greater constraints are needed or more autonomy is needed, the policy can be revised. City of College Park Mayor and Council Orientation Minutes December 14, 2019 Page 2 4. Wrap up/Next Steps • Develop a policy to clarify the role between the City Manager and City Attorney on review/approval of contracts/legal agreements. __________________________________ Janeen S. Miller Date City Clerk Approved