Agendas and Minutes

City Council (View All)

Study Session

Agenda
Monday, November 02, 2009

MINUTES FOR CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION

Monday, November 2, 2009

Siskiyou Room, 51 Winburn Way

 

 

Mayor Stromberg called the meeting to order at 5:33 p.m.

 

Councilor Jackson, Navickas, Silbiger, Voisin, Chapman and Lemhouse were present.

 

1.     Look Ahead Review

City Administrator Martha Bennett reviewed the items on the Council Look Ahead.

 

2.     Discussion regarding does the Council understand and agree with the principles, guidelines, and permit process for the draft update to the Street Pennant Program?

Project Manager Adam Hanks and Management Analyst Ann Seltzer provided the staff report.  The critical issues were the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) is the main entity using pennants and the need to update the permit process.  The proposed program would formalize some of the practices occurring presently and insert the City back into the approval process.  Staff discussed with Council duration, community wide events, proximity of the pennants to the event, remaining content neutral to meet the first amendment right and developing a method to accommodate requests.   

 

Council wanted involvement from the public and the Chamber of Commerce, suggested a lottery for the selection process similar to the one used for publication racks and having some spots permanent and others open.

 

Staff recommended public involvement as part of the application process, noted pennant size standards and how the City would have input on content if pennants were functional items.  Pennants could be loaned functional items that required hold harmless and maintenance agreements.  This would enable the City Administrator to make decisions on whether to accept a loan or not. 

 

Council discussed alternatives to pennants, limiting the number and area, having a distinction between large and small pennants, establishing parameters, designating pennant sites for public art and locating possible grant money to support the process. 

 

Council directed staff to provide examples of pennants and banners used in other cities.

 

3.     Discussion regarding what direction the Council has for further development and eventual adoption of an intergovernmental relations plan and policy?

City Administrator Martha Bennett continued the discussion on regional representative responsibilities and issues of substance from the October 19, 2009 Study Session.  Council and staff addressed protocol for contacting elected officials and agreed Councilors and the Mayor will announce whether they are speaking as an individual or in full capacity representing the Council when contacting elected officials or agencies and provide Council and staff with details of whom they contacted and what they discussed. 

 

Council went on to discuss Council Liaison roles for Commissions, rotating liaison positions, using regional responsibility as a way to achieve goals and Study Sessions to determine topics to move forward regionally.  The Transmission Grid was added as a topic for the Federal level with water and the homeless situation added as a topic for Regional participation.  

 

Staff asked for Council feedback regarding regional representative responsibilities and issues of substance by December 15, 2009. 

 

Council and staff discussed using Council training funds to send a Housing Commissioner to a workshop on Homelessness that Councilor Voisin could not attend.  Council expressed caution in using Council funds in this manner and requested an informal proposal from Councilor Voisin in order to make a decision. 

 

Changes to the agenda for the November 4, 2009 meeting were addressed.  Council noted the agenda is established by City rules and was not comfortable switching agenda items once posted.

 

Councilor Voisin shared details regarding her request to rotate Council seating arrangements every two months.  Council briefly commented that seating ran according to Council position and it might be simpler to ask a Councilor to switch seats at the time of the meeting instead of establishing a new process.

 

Councilor Chapman announced his decision to volunteer for either the League of Oregon Cities (LOC) Transit Policy Committee or the Telecommunications Policy Committee. 

 

Meeting adjourned at 7:44 p.m.

 

 

Respectfully submitted,

Dana Smith

Assistant to the City Recorder

 

 

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