Appointed Committees

CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT AD HOC COMMITTEE October 4, 2016 Page 1 Committee Members Present: Mark Jantzer, Dave Lehner, Shannon Straight, Scott Knudsvig, Lianne Zeltinger Members Absent None Others Present: Alderman Podrygula, Alderman Kossan, Alderman Hedberg, Kelly Matalka, Cindy Hemphill, Kelly Hendershot, Stefanie Stalheim, Lisa Jundt, Derek Hackett Chairman Jantzer brought the meeting to order at 12:00 pm. Chairman Jantzer reminded those in attendance to submit any thoughts or considerations to the City Clerk prior to the meeting in order to be reviewed. He also stated, the topic on today’s agenda, Committee Structure, is scheduled as discussion for two meetings, since the staff and the committee believe the issue may take some time to resolve. Cindy Hemphill, Acting City Manager, briefly explained, the memo from city staff included information from the four largest cities in North Dakota as examples for how committees could be structured but it is not meant to influence the decisions of the ad hoc committee. She said, they wanted to provide some ideas as a starting point but other city compositions could be considered as well. Approval of Minutes Alderman Lehner moved the committee approve the minutes from the September 27, 2016 committee meeting. Motion seconded by Alderman Straight and carried unanimously by a roll call vote. Review of Ordinance Updates and Changes- Chapter 2 CMCO The City Attorney Clarified, the ordinance distributed to the committee has had the sections renumbered and reorganized to follow the organization of State Law. The Majority Vote, which was discussed at a previous meeting, is now Section 2-21. Ms. Hendershot also kept italicized placeholders for topics which will be addressed during later meetings and added sections on State Law. Alderman Lehner asked about the section on Polling Precincts, to which Ms. Hendershot replied by saying, if precincts are designated by Council, that section will be added later. She stated, the committee will discuss the italicized issues prior to the next City Council meeting and the complete document can be forwarded for City Council’s approval. Resolution of Special Election Committee member Knudsvig moved the committee recommend the City Council adopt the resolution calling and scheduling a Special Election for June 13, 2017 to elect six at-large aldermen, outlining the election schedule for the special election, and authorizing further the polling place and hours in which the polls shall remain open. Motion seconded by Alderman Straight. CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT AD HOC COMMITTEE October 4, 2016 Page 2 The City Attorney stated, the resolution relates to the Special Election in June and incorporates all requirements and changes determined by the committee from the previous meeting. Whereupon a vote was taken on the motion by committee member Knudsvig, seconded by Alderman Straight and carried by the following roll call vote: ayes: Jantzer, Knudsvig, Lehner, Straight, Zeltinger. nays: none Committee Structure Alderman Jantzer stated, a memo was provided as well as some research about Fargo, Bismarck, and Grand Forks to give ideas on possible options to consider. Alderman Straight said the new process should make things more efficient by streamlining the committee structure. He suggested consolidating committees, possibly eliminating the Liquor & Gambling Control committee and maybe meet as a committee of the whole instead of standing committees. Mr. Knudsvig presented an idea to consolidate into two standing committees, one would combine Liquor & Gambling with Finance & Improvements, and the other would combine Public Works & Safety with the Airport. He suggested having four Alderman and one community member on each committee as appointed by the Mayor. He explained, the President and Vice President of City Council will each serve on one of the committees and two alderman will serve on both. Alderman Lehner questioned if four alderman are permitted on a committee without violating open meeting laws and suggested three alderman per committee. The City Attorney said she would verify the situation but according to the Attorney General’s open meeting laws, there may be potential notification issues. If a quorum of Council members are on a committee, the meeting must be noticed as a Council meeting even if it is determined their decisions will be forwarded to the full Council. Alderman Podrygula commented, most aldermen attend all of the meetings whether or not they serve on them so it should not be an imposition to sit on multiple committees. He mentioned the use of ad hoc committees as a tool for citizen input rather than placing citizens on standing committees. He said he leans toward a committee of the whole meeting every couple weeks with a looser structure and appoint groups to deal with specific issues. Josh Wolsky said a good starting point would be to define the purpose of the committees in order to find direction. He stated, he finds committees valuable and it gives citizens two chances to address an issue, once at committee then at Council. He brought up the concept of portfolios and suggested a hybrid system where committees and portfolios are used. He liked the idea from Mr. Knudsvig to include community members and said it could be a starting point to ease citizens into running for City Council. Alderman Lehner agreed, it would be a good idea to get citizens involved by using committees as a training device. CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT AD HOC COMMITTEE October 4, 2016 Page 3 Upon questioning by Alderman Straight, Ms. Hemphill stated, there is currently no application process to serve on a committee since it has been hard enough to find willing members. On the topic of holding meetings as a committee of the whole, she said it would be easier on department heads who are required to provide memos in preparation for committee meetings. It would give more opportunity to have items approved. On the other hand it would take up a significant amount of time to hold weekly meetings. The group discussed the possibility of having community members on standing committees. In contrast, it was also stated, the Council members are the ones elected and it is their responsibility to make the decisions. Overall, the conversation laid out possibilities including, combining the current committees into two standing committees, holding regular meetings as a committee of the whole, or developing a portfolio system, although all options are still on the table. Alderman Jantzer encouraged those in attendance to submit ideas to the City Clerk in order to be considered at the next meeting. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 1:01 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Kelly Matalka City Clerk