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Figure 2. Council.Staff Partnership - <br />(To What Degree Is This Partnership Understood, Discussed, and Respected by Councilmembers?) <br /> <br />COUNCIL'S SPHERE <br /> <br />P <br />0 <br />L <br /> <br />I <br />C <br />Y <br /> <br />0 <br />U <br />N <br />C <br />I <br />L <br /> <br /> · Community <br /> · Political factors) <br /> · Values <br /> <br />xGratificati°n / <br /> / <br /> / <br /> <br />GOVERNANCE/POLICY PROCESS <br /> <br />A continuum/interaction <br /> <br />, A M M <br />',.M L I A <br />~ ..... -S' -" P N N <br />/s // Ia <br />/s /R /L'I,s /o <br />/I /E /x /",T <br />/ 0 / S / C / '.--..l <br />/~/u / Y It, <br /> <br />A <br />D <br />M <br /> I <br />N <br /> <br />A <br />D <br />M <br />I <br />N <br />[ <br />S <br />T <br />R <br />A <br />T <br />I <br />0 <br />N <br /> <br /> ADMINISTRATOR/ <br />MANAGER'S SPHERE <br /> <br /> entation <br /> · Performance issues I <br /> · Values and expertise// <br /> <br />expect periodic feedback on policy re- <br />sults and on possible policy amend- <br />ments that may be required. This feed- <br />back can be provided through progress <br />reports, status memos or newsletters, <br />and policy reviews. <br /> <br />Allocate Council <br /> Time and Energy <br />· Appropriately <br /> <br />Councils, like other teams, play in a <br />number of settings or arenas to achieve <br />overall, peak performance. There are <br />four council-staff arenas, and each must <br />be appreciated for its purpose and for its <br />contribution to a council's effectiveness: <br /> <br />· Goal setting (retreats or "advances"). <br />· Exploration and analysis (study <br /> sessions). <br />· Disposition/legislation (regular pub- <br /> lic meetings). <br />· Community relations (interactions <br /> ~th constituents and with other <br /> agencies). <br /> <br /> Figure 3 shows the purpose, typical <br />setting, focus, and key characteristics of <br />each arena. All four arenas are essential <br />to highly effective councils' fulfillment of <br />their leadership, policy-making, goal- <br />setting, and empowering responsibilities. <br /> A highly effective council will hold at <br />least one goal-setting retreat or "ad- <br />vance" annually. It also will hold two <br />study sessions monthly, usually between <br />regularly scheduled public hearings. <br />Here, councilmembers will confer with <br />staff and other experts on significant <br />items under consideration that will <br />eventually require official actions. <br /> While these meetings should be open <br />to the public as observers, the public <br />should not participate in the council- <br />staff dialogue. Many councils short- <br />change this arena, pushing the opportu- <br />nity for learning into the formal public <br />hearing, which is not designed to pro- <br />mote much in-depth analysis of complex <br />issues. The arena of disposition/legislation <br />is designed to get to a vote, not to pro- <br />mote careful analysis of complex issues. <br /> <br /> The fourth arena, community rela- <br />tions, is becoming more important. It is <br />rapidly transforming the role of the <br />council and how it spends its time. <br />Communities today are more dependent <br />upon sophisticated alliances and part- <br />nerships among groups, both public and <br />private entities. Jurisdictions are subject <br />to multiple, profound changes in how <br />public officials operate. Today, the com- <br />munity arena requires more time spent <br />in interactions outside city hall and puts <br />greater time pressure on mayors and <br />councilmembers. <br /> <br />Set Clear Rules <br />and Procedures <br /> <br /> for Council <br />· Meetings <br /> <br />Council meetings exist for the purpose <br />of doing the council's business. Litera- <br />ture on how to conduct effective and <br />productive meetings specifies the need <br />for an adherence to clearly defined rules <br />and procedures. <br /> <br />PUBLIC MANAGEMENT <br /> <br /> <br />