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City Council Minutes March 11, 2013 Page 5 Councilmember Motin stated that he believes the liaison should be more of a resource for the commission and report back to the City Council. In addition, Councilmember Motin feels a policy would help clarify the liaison role. Councilmember Westgaard explained that having additional language defining the liaison's role would be helpful for new and current councilmembers. He added that he believes it would be appropriate for a liaison to comment if the commission was discussing an item that the Council has discussed before or one that the liaison knew the Council would not be in favor of Mr. Portner stated that the Prior Lake policy allows for some flexibility. He added that the role of the liaison may depend on the commission. He indicated some commissioners may not understand or have the background on a discussion item and may rely more heavily on the Council liaison or staff liaison for guidance. Consensus of the City Council was to have Mr. Portner draft language and report back. Code of Conduct Mr. Portner stated that the city does not have language addressing council decorum or censure but does have items in place to address the open meeting law, conflict of interest, and gifts. Councilmember Motin indicated that he is not interested in a policy for decorum; however, he would be interested in reviewing the current policies the city has in place. Mr. Beck explained that the current policy is suivlar to the League template provided including ethics, gifts, etc., but nothing on censure. Mayor Dietz indicated that he believes the Council needs to have a free exchange of ideas and opinions. He stated he may be in favor of general language but nothing as specific as the Prior Lake policy. He added that the Councilmembers are ultimately judged by the voters. Councilmember Wilson questioned how having a code of conduct would suppress discussion. Councilmember Westgaard stated he doesn't believe a code of conduct would stop someone from speaking their mind but would be a reminder to remain professional and avoid personal attacks. Councilmember Burandt stated that there has always been a code of conduct in her place of employment and she believes it serves as a good overall reference for people to conduct themselves in a professional manner. Consensus was for Mr. Portner to review the related policies already in place and report back to the Council. Public Hearings Mr. Portner recommended establishing a procedure for all public hearings. He suggested allowing all public comments prior to closing the public hearing and then providing response to the comments raised. He believes this may be helpful and may prevent issues in the future. Mr. Beck concurred. He added that this is the procedure the city has followed for larger, more controversial hearings but it is best practice for all public hearings.