5.3. SR 03-08-2010 - Laserfiche WebLink

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The council's job is to see that the council gets its job lane and the city administrator's job is to see that the staff get its jab done. Itis common, however, far the mayor and individual council members to give advice to the city administrator and staff. But advice, ifit is really advice, can be rejected. if staff has any doubtthat advice given by the mayor and individual council members cannotsafelybeturned down, the clarity of council-to-staff delegation will be undermined. Council members should refrain from giving advice unless advice is requested. This protects the board's ability to hold the city administrator accountable for his or her awn decisions. The city administrator and any of the city staff can request advice if they need it, and then can request it from whomever theywish. The wisestroute is for the council to govern and leave advice and advisory mechanisms to the staff s own initiative. This way the staff gets all the advice it needs and role clarity and accountability are maintained, To be accountable in governance of the city and delegation of management requires the city council to; 1. Be definite about its performance expectations, Z.Assign these expectations clearly, 3. Check to see that the expectations are being met, The city council is accountable that the city works. The council need not control everything but it must control the definition of success. It is possible to control too much, just as it is possible to control too little, The zeal of a conscientious council can lead to rnicromanagement. The trusting of a council can lead to rubber stamping. The discipline required to meet the challenge of governing cannot be overstated, The city council has a critical job to da. City councils must persevere with the arduous, complex task of describing purpose, setting clear policies, planning for a sound future, setting ethical/prudent boundaries, and properly evaluating staff performance and organizational success, To this end, the following personal code of conduct shall be followed voluntarily by the mayor and city council members; 1, Act in the Public Interest Recognizing that stewardship of the public interest must be the primary concern, mayor and council members shall work for the common good of the citizens of the City of Elk River and not for a private or personal interest, and theywill endeavor to treat all persons, claims and transactions in a fair and equitable manner. 2, Conduct of mayor and council members