8. HANDOUT 02-16-2010 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Correspondence also should be cua Y clear abort representation City letterhead may be used when the Councilmember is representing the City and the City's offficial position. A copy of affcial correspondence should be given to the City Clerk to be filed as part of the permanent public record, It is best that City letterhead rat be used for correspandence of Council members representing a personal point of view, or a dissenting pant of view from an official Council position. Council Conduct ith a~.rds and Co ynissio s The City has established several Baards and Cammissions as a means of gathering more cammunity input. Citizens who serve on Boards and Commissions became more involved in government and. serve as advisors to the City Council. They are a valuable resource to the City's leadership and should be treated with appreciation and respect. ~f attendl.ng a oard. or Con~misslon mee~n.g, be careful ®only express personal ol~ons Council members may attend. any Board or Commission meeting, which are always open to any member of the public, However, if the Board or Commission is conducting a public hearing, the Council Member shall remove themselves from. the proceedings. Council members should be sensitive to the way their participation -~ especially ~ it is on behalf of an individual, business ar developer -- could be viewed as unfairly affecting the process, Any public corn~nents by a Councilme~nber at a Board or Commission meeting should be clearly made as individual opinion and not a representation of the feelings of the entire City Council. Also, a Councilmember's presence may affect the conduct of the Board or Commission and limit their role and function. Llml~ contact with oar and Com~.isslon embers ~t is inappropriate for a Cauncilnaember to contact a Baard or Commission member to lobby an behalf of an individual, business, or developer. Council members should contact staff in order to clarify a position taken by the Board ar Commission, emember that oards and Co~nn~lssions serve the cona~nun~ty, not indfvidnal Council n~e~nbers The City Council appoints individuals to serve on Boards and Commissions, and it is the responsibility of Boards and Commissions to follow policy established by the Council. But Board and. Commission members do not report to individual Council members, nor should Council members feel they have the power or right to threaten Board and Commission members with removal if they disagree about an issue. Appointment and reappointment to a Board or Commission should be based on such criteria as expertise, ability to work with staff and the public, and commitment to fulfilling official duties. A hoard or Commission appointment should not be used as a political "reward." ®e respccful o diverse opinions A primary role of Boards and Commissions is to represent many points of view in the community and to provide the Council with advice based on a fiill spectrum of conce~~s and perspectives. Councilmembers must be fair and. respectful of all citizens serving on Boards and Commissions. 9