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What Constitutes Best Governance Practices for a City Council?
An area city has a new Council and that City Council has seen plenty of publicity about
their meetings, none of it being good. Council meetings have at best, lacked focus, and
at worst, have been chaotic. The news media has caught on that this community's
Council meetings are the "best show in town" on second Tuesdays, so all the media,
especially the television news reporters, make sure that they are at every Council
meeting to witness and tape the action as well as report on it. Even the typically low
viewership of the Council's meetings on the City's public cable television channel has
risen dramatically as the word has spread among residents about these "lively" council
meetings. It has gotten to the point that the city's business/civic community feels that
the city's public image is being tarnished and is suffering, as Council meetings become
perceived as some type of public spectacle. They have expressed their concerns to the
Mayor and some of the Council. The city's Mayor recognizes that their Council needs
coaching assistance and advice on how to work together better and govern their
community more effectively.
As a "best governing practices" Town Council, you have been recommended to this
area city's Mayor as a source of advice to help that City Council with their struggling
group dynamics. They have watched and admired the many things you have been able
to accomplish and the way you have been able to govern through difficult policy issues.
The Westlake Town Council has been asked by this area city the question, what
constitutes best governance practices for a city council?
You in turn ask the Mayor of this city some questions in order to gather information so
you can help them. The answers to your questions describe a challenging situation for
any governing body. You are told:
• Most of the time the City Council does not have consensus on what the
significant policy issues are facing their city. When they do have consensus on
an issue, they often do not reach consensus on how to approach the issue.
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• Because there is no consensus by this area city's Council as a whole on the
issues, individual council members feel they must pursue their own policy issues
(after all that is what got them elected, they state).
• On the governance tenant of "the Council speaking with one voice", there is not
agreement among the City Council as to what this is, what it means, what it looks
like, and how it should shape the Council's governance discussion and actions.
You have been asked for advice on how to keep Council discussion at the policy
level instead of migrating into operational issues which have ostensibly been
delegated to their City Manager.
• While the neighboring city's Council Members say they want to operate at the
policy level, they often do not agree on what is policy and what is not. Even the
Council's advisory boards are confused on this point. The example you are
given is the hiring practices in the Parks and Recreation department. Their
community is opening a new recreation facility soon and the Council appointed
Parks & Recreation Advisory Board has asked the Parks Staff to review the
position description and qualification requirements for the Center Manager.
Further, they would like to help screen the candidates. They have said, "These
employees are the face of the community and we need to have input on what
that face looks like!"
• Council meetings are long, many agenda items are tabled for more information
from staff, what the decision is that the Council is being asked to make is
sometimes "muddy" and it is not clear what the process is for creating the
Council meeting agenda.
• Individual members of the Council are making significant demands on the City
Manager and staff time through requests for information and analysis on
individual Council member priorities. Role confusion between the Council's role
and staff's role seems to be growing at each Council meeting.
Of course, you as a Town Council are flattered that your peers, especially from this
area, recognize your governance excellence, and look to you for advice. So, how do
you answer their question-what constitutes best governance practices for a city
council?
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Discussion
What appear to be the policy issues here?
Are there other issues that are significant that might not be policy issues?
What do your own policies state about these situations?
What advice would you offer to help improve your neighbor's situation?
What other comments or suggestions do you have?
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