MONDAY'S AGENDA #2

As noted earlier, that which will be on the Agenda has already been gone over in detail in discussions about the Agenda Fixing meeting.

The revised Ordinance with changes to the City Code should pass on 1^st reading. But one never knows with this Council.

Among additions is the charge for the Council President to establish protocols `describing how members of Administration can submit Items for Council consideration. This would prevent the frustrating practice of bringing new matters to the Council on the day of the meeting.

Also the Council President is charged with establishing process which Councilors may question the Administration.

It is not clear if these two actions can be done by fiat or should have Council agreement.

The Council President   shall establish the order of business for Council meetings, the various items in the present ‘mandated format” are to be included except there is no mention of pledge or prayer. These two contentious items will or will not be part of the agenda depending on the will of the President and Council since they will have to be approved at the annual reorganization meeting.

The ridged schedule for Business meetings in the Code has been eliminated. All the new wording says is that there will be one meting each month on Monday (certain changes allowed); the schedule to be established by Council at the organization meeting.

Deleted is a sentence regarding the Agenda Fixing Session to quote;”any such session may be attended by such persons that are invited by the Council”. As you know that all Council meetings and Committee meetings by law must be open to the Public. The only exception is Executive Committee meetings when certain specified subjects are being discussed.

The way the Code will now be written it will make possible the inclusion of a much desired pertinent Public Commentary period right before the proposed resolutions etc are discussed.

There are a slew of resolutions from Corporation Counsel to contract law firms for litigation work with a limit of $5000.00. There is however one increasing the sum appropriate to the firm involved in labor matters from the original $10K by an additional 15K. Impression; Contract negotiations in this time of financial crisis is not going smoothly and/or there have been large numbers of employee complaints against various city administrators.