[I. CALL TO ORDER, CALL OF ROLL]
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BRINGING THE CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE INTO SESSION AT 4 P.M. ON OCTOBER 15TH. AND WE HAVE WITH US ROBERT OWEN, MARK DOUGLAS, MYSELF, JEN GRUNWALD WILL NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE IT TODAY AND JEAN HARRIS IS RUNNING LATE. SO HE WILL BE JOINING US. BUT HE HE'S HE'LL BE HERE SHORTLY. LET'S START WITH OUR FIRST AGENDA ITEM, A ROUTINE REPORT FROM OUR CITY
[II.a. Routine reports from City Council Liaison (s).]
COUNCIL LIAISON, COUNCILMAN PRINCE. SO ONE ONE REAL SIMPLE THING. I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING SPECIFICALLY FROM COUNCIL, I KNOW, LINDA, YOU HAD SENT ME A NOTE ASKING ABOUT GETTING FEEDBACK FROM COUNCIL, KIND OF ON THE ON THE PROCESS AND COUNCIL THOUGHTS. AND I THINK PROBABLY THE BEST THING IS TO POST SOMETHING ON THE THE DISCUSSION OR SOMETHING ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD. SO AS WE'RE GOING THROUGH YOU CAN YOU CAN YOU GUYS CAN AGREE ON WHAT THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE. BUT AS I WAS THINKING ABOUT THAT, I WAS LOOKING AT THE CRC DISCUSSION BOARD, AND IT SEEMED TO ME A GOOD IDEA FOR YOU ALL. I SAW, MARK, THAT YOU HAD POSTED THE CURRENT CHARTER, WHICH IS HELPFUL. AND THEN, ROBERT, YOU POSTED A BUNCH OF THE CHARTERS AND MINUTES, RIGHT? THAT THAT YOU ALL LOOKED AT. I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE GOOD IF YOU WANTED.YOU PROBABLY YOU, ROBERT, WOULD POST THE FINAL REPORT FROM THE PHASE ONE OF THE CRC, BECAUSE I THINK THAT'LL BE A GOOD PLACE TO TO GO FIND IT. AND THEN ANYTHING THAT I POST AS A QUESTION FOR COUNCIL AND THE COUNCIL DISCUSSION BOARD, I CAN POINT THEM TO THAT REFERENCE.
OKAY. AND IF YOU ARE WONDERING WHAT I ASKED, MR. PRINCE WAS, AS WE ARE FOCUSING ON REVISING THE CHARTER, I WAS I WAS INTERESTED IN GETTING SOME SPECIFIC FEEDBACK FROM THE COUNCIL AS TO WHY, WHAT THEY WANT TO GET OUT OF A REVISED CHARTER, BECAUSE WE DID RECOMMENDATIONS, THEY ACCEPTED THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND THEY SAID, HEY, NOW, WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO REVISE THE CHARTER. AND WE NEVER REALLY TALKED ABOUT WHAT THEY HOPE TO GET OUT OF A REVISED CHARTER, SOMETHING DIFFERENT, OBVIOUSLY, THAN WHAT THEY GOT OUT OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS. AND WE ALL WHO WERE ON THE ON THE COMMITTEE, WE KNOW WHAT THINGS WE WOULD LIKE TO DO AND WHY WE WANT TO REVISE THE CHARTER. I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S CONSISTENT WITH WHAT THE COUNCIL DID, SO I ASKED I ASKED HIM IF HE SHOULD SUGGESTED THAT WE PUT IT ON A DISCUSSION BOARD OR, OR IF I SEND AN EMAIL OR WHATEVER. AND SO THIS IS THE ANSWER THAT HE'S GOING TO PUT IT ON THE COUNCIL DISCUSSION COUNCIL DISCUSSION BOARD. AND I THINK HAVING, HAVING THE I ACTUALLY WENT BACK AND LOOKED IN THE COUNCIL SESSION WHERE YOUR FINAL PRODUCT WAS. AND SO IT'S, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER IT IS, 40 OR 50 PAGES OUT OF THAT 300 PAGE PACKET. AND IT JUST SEEMS LIKE IT'D BE MORE CONVENIENT IF YOU ALL POSTED IT ON THE DISCUSSION GROUP. THE ONLY CONCERN THERE MIGHT BE THE SIZE OF THE PRESENTATION, BECAUSE ATTACHMENTS ARE LIMITED TO ONE MEGABYTE ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD. SO I'LL TAKE A LOOK AT THE PRESENTATION AND SEE HOW WE CAN BREAK IT UP. OR B JUST POST A LINK TO A CLOUD DRIVERS. YEAH, YOU MAY BE ABLE TO DO THAT I THINK I, I THINK I'VE SEEN I'VE DONE THAT MYSELF. AND THEN IN THE SAME THREAD, LINDA, WE COULD POSE THE QUESTION ON YOUR BEHALF INSTEAD OF DOING TWO POSTS. I CAN JUST DO IT ALL IN ONE. WELL, HERE'S WHAT WE PRESENTED. YOU ASKED US TO DO A REWRITE. WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE FROM A REWRITE? AND THAT'S GREAT FOR YOU TO POST THAT THERE. BUT THE COUNCIL COUNCIL MEMBERS CAN'T HAVE A DISCUSSION ON THE CRC BOARD. SO BUT IF YOU POST IT THERE, THEN I CAN TAKE THAT AS A COPY AND PUT IT OVER ON THE COUNCIL DISCUSSION BOARD TO GET THE ACTUAL DISCUSSION STARTED. AND I WAS CONCERNED THAT MAYBE THE COUNCIL DOESN'T READ OUR BOARD, YOU KNOW, BUT THAT'S WHY WE NEED TO GET IT ON THEIR BOARD. BUT BUT IF YOU POST IT ROBERT AND AND AND THEN PAUL PUTS IT ON THE CITY COUNCIL, THEN WE'RE REALLY COVERED AND AND ONE OTHER COMMENT, MARK, IT'S WHEN WE FIRST STARTED, WE GOT A LOT OF INPUT FROM THE COUNCIL AS TO WHAT THEY WANTED, CHANGES THAT THEY WERE SUGGESTING FOR THE RECOMMENDATIONS. SO THAT'S WHY NOW THAT WE'RE DOING A REVISION AND IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, SIX, EIGHT MONTHS LATER, I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE WORTHWHILE TO FIND OUT, YOU KNOW, AT THIS POINT, AT THIS DATE, YOU KNOW, WHAT? WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING FOR? SO THAT'S THAT'S THE REASON FOR THAT COUNCIL'S GOING TO CHANGE. AND COUNCIL'S GOING TO CHANGE. YEAH. IN A MONTH OR SO. THAT'S TRUE. I'LL MAKE ONE COMMENT ON WHAT YOU JUST SAID. LINDA, I THINK THAT MOST OF THE COUNCIL COMMENTS ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD WERE HIGHLIGHTING ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED AS OPPOSED AS OPPOSED TO WHAT THE ANSWER SHOULD BE, RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT. AND THERE MAY HAVE BEEN SOME
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CASES WHERE COUNCIL MEMBERS SAID, HERE'S THE ANSWER, I THINK IS WHAT I THINK IS RIGHT.BUT FOR THE MOST PART, IT WAS THIS IS A TOPIC THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. THIS IS A TOPIC THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. YEAH. AND YOU ALL DID A GREAT JOB ADDRESSING ALL OF THOSE
[II.b. Routine reports from City Staff.]
OKAY. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND NOW OUR SECOND ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS ROUTINE REPORTS FROM CITY STAFF. AND WE HAD ADDRESSED A QUESTION TO CITY STAFF. AND IT'S GOING TO BE[Executive Session]
ANSWERED FOR US IN EXECUTIVE SESSION. SO WE ARE NOW GOING TO ADJOURN TO EXECUTIVE SESSION.AND LINDA, IF YOU DON'T MIND, I'LL SAY FOR BENEFIT OF THE OF THE RECORDING HERE, FOR ANYBODY WHO IS WATCHING THAT. THE CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE HAD ASKED QUESTIONS AROUND BONDING AND INDEMNIFICATION OF THINGS THAT THEY THAT YOU ALL HAVE RUN INTO IN SOME OTHER CHARTERS.
AND OUR CITY ATTORNEY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK IN EXECUTIVE SESSION SO THAT THAT PORTION OF HIS ANSWER THAT ARE NOT APPROPRIATE FOR FOR PUBLIC DISCOURSE ARE HELD IN PRIVATE. SO THAT'S THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE DISCUSSING. AND THIS FITS UNDER AGENDA ITEM 13 REPORTS FROM CITY STANDARD. OKAY. AND IT'S UNDER SECTION 551 THAT I DON'T KNOW 551. WHAT. BUT IT IS SECTION 551. SO I THINK THAT YEAH I DON'T KNOW. BUT WHENEVER WHENEVER WE HAVE GONE A FEW OCCASIONS WHERE WE NEEDED TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION IN CITY COUNCIL ON SOMETHING THAT WASN'T EXPLICITLY LISTED ON THE EXECUTIVE EXECUTIVE SESSION AGENDA, THAT'S ACCEPTABLE BY THE CITY ATTORNEY'S GUIDANCE, BECAUSE ANYTHING THAT NEEDS ATTORNEY CLIENT PRIVILEGED INFORMATION OR ATTORNEY CLIENT PRIVILEGE QUESTIONS CAN BE TAKEN TO EXECUTIVE SESSION. ANYTHING THAT'S ON THE REGULAR AGENDA, WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE. OKAY. GREAT. THANK YOU. OKAY. WITH THAT, I'LL ADJOURN US INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION OKAY. I'M RECONVENING THE MEETING OF THE CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE AT
[IV.a. Approval of Minutes of October 1, 2025 Charter Review Committee Meeting.]
4:53 P.M. AND WE CAN MOVE ON TO OUR FIRST AGENDA ITEM, WHICH IS. APPROVING THE MINUTES FROM OUR OCTOBER 1ST, 2025 CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE MEETING. AS EVERYONE HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW THE MINUTES. YES. YES. OKAY. YES. YEAH. YOU'VE ALWAYS GOT A BARRIER. IS THERE? I MOVED TO ACCEPT AS WRITTEN. OKAY. WE HAVE A SECOND. I'LL SECOND THAT. OKAY. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. UNANIMOUSLY APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM OCTOBER 1ST. GREAT. NOW WE CAN MOVE ON TO[IV.b. Discuss National Civic league Model City Charter's terms and applicability to City of Lago Vista.]
THE DISCUSSION OF THE NATIONAL CIVIC LEAGUE MODEL CITY CHARTERS, TERMS AND APPLICABILITY TO THE CITY OF LA VISTA. DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION? OKAY. ARE WE GOING TO BE STARTING ON PART ONE, OR ARE WE GOING TO BE STARTING WITH THE CHATGPT AI ITEM THAT SPELLED OUT THE DIFFERENCES? I READ BOTH, SO I WAS KIND OF CURIOUS IF WE'RE GOING TO TOUCH ON THAT OR JUST GO RIGHT DIRECTLY INTO THE CHARTER ITSELF. WELL, WE WERE GOING TO START WITH THE.THE ACTUAL CHARTER DOCUMENT. VERY GOOD. I'M CURIOUS IF PEOPLE ALSO READ THE NCL. THE GUIDE FOR CHARTER COMMISSIONS. DOES ANYBODY READ THAT TO. I THINK I DID ONCE, BUT IT'S WELL, IT'S VERY MEMORABLE. MARK, IF YOU HAD READ IT, I'M SURE THAT IT WOULD JUST COME RIGHT BACK TO YOU, I BET. OKAY, SO LET'S START AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MODEL CITY CHARTER. AND THE.
ACTUALLY EVEN IN THE INTRODUCTION I HAD COMMENTS, BUT I'LL, I'LL OPEN IT UP FOR YOU ALL TO. DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY COMMENTS ON THE INTRODUCTION? YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT BEFORE THE PREAMBLE? YEAH, YEAH. ON PAGE THREE IT'S ON PAGE THREE AND IT'S THE I USE THE LINE NUMBERED ONE THIS TIME. SO IT ACTUALLY STARTS WITH LINE ONE ON PAGE THREE. I JUST HAVE SOME COMMENTS BUT. OKAY. WELL NO ACTUALLY I GUESS I DON'T. THEY HAVE OBVIOUSLY HAVE A
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CERTAIN PHILOSOPHY THAT THEY'RE OPERATING UNDER AND WE JUST. DON'T SUBSCRIBE TO THAT. AND THAT'S PROBABLY ENOUGH SAID. OKAY. ONE OF THE COMMENTS THAT I WOULD MAKE ON THE INTRODUCTION THAT I THOUGHT WAS INTERESTING AND NOTABLE IS THAT THEY REALLY ARE. THEY REALLY ASSERT THE ADVANTAGES OF THE COUNCIL MANAGER FORM OF GOVERNMENT, AND THEY REALLY THE WHOLE, THEIR WHOLE, THE WHOLE CHARTER REPEATEDLY EMPHASIZES THAT COUNCIL MANAGER FORM IS REALLY THE MOST DESIRABLE FORM. AND I THOUGHT THAT THAT WAS WORTH NOTING. SOMEBODY AT SOME POINT ASKED ME, AND I THINK IT WAS IN A SOCIAL SETTING. I THINK, WERE WE GOING TO BE CHANGING THE FORM OF THE GOVERNMENT, YOU KNOW, OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT? AND I'M LIKE, NO, THAT'S NOT THAT'S NOT WHAT WE'RE IT'S NOT WHAT WE'RE DOING. BUT ANYWAY, I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS NOTABLE THAT THEY ARE SO EMPHATIC THAT THIS IS THE BEST IN THEIR OPINION AFTER ALL THESE YEARS. THAT IS THEIR OPINION. THAT'S THE BEST FORM OF GOVERNMENT. AND. APART FROM THAT, THEY WERE REALLY EMPHATIC ABOUT THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT THAT WAS NECESSARY DURING THIS PROCESS. AND I, I MADE A NOTE ACTUALLY, THAT I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE WORTHWHILE FOR US TO PUT SOMEONE ONE OF OUR COMMITTEE KIND OF IN CHARGE OF PUBLIC OUTREACH. AND SO I WAS WONDERING IF THAT WOULD BE WORTH WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK ABOUT THAT. DO YOU IS THAT WORTH CONSIDERING? DOES ANYBODY ELSE THINK IT WAS A THEY MADE THEY MADE A THEY MADE EMPHASIS ON THAT REPEATEDLY ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT IT WAS TO TO GET PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS. AND, YOU KNOW, THEY DO MAKE THE POINT THAT IT'S CERTAINLY MORE LIKELY TO TO HAVE VOTER APPROVAL IF THE VOTERS HAVE BEEN IN, YOU KNOW, ENGAGED AND AWARE AND INVOLVED THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS. SO AND YOU'RE TALKING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE CHARTER, THE CHARTER REVISION. SO I'M TALKING ABOUT ALL OF GOVERNMENT. SO NO, I'M TALKING ABOUT JUST FOR THE CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE. SHOULD WE SHOULD WE DESIGNATE ONE OF US TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR KIND OF MAKING AN EFFORT FOR PUBLIC OUTREACH TO THE COMMUNITY ON SOCIAL MEDIA? SURE.THAT'S A GOOD IDEA IF YOU NEED A VOLUNTEER, I'M ALREADY DOING THAT. BUT YOU MIGHT. YOU SEEM SHOCKED. I THINK I SAW A POST FROM YOU ALREADY. OH YEAH. YEAH, BUT THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID NOTE WHEN WE DID OUR RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE NEEDED MORE PUBLICITY FOR THE NEXT CHARTER COMMITTEE TO DRUM UP THE PUBLIC INTEREST IN PUBLIC COMMENTS, BECAUSE WE WENT THROUGH ONCE AND HAD NO PUBLIC COMMENTS WHATSOEVER. RIGHT. AND SINCE SINCE IT WAS LIKE RIGHT OFF THE BAT MENTIONED IN THE INTRODUCTION AT THIS, AND I WAS JUST WONDERING IF THERE WAS ANYBODY ON OUR, IN OUR GROUP THAT WOULD WANT TO TAKE THAT ON AND DO THAT. I'LL BE GLAD TO. OKAY. WE PROBABLY NEED A MOTION TO TO OFFICIALLY DESIGNATE TO DO THAT.
DO YOU THINK WE'RE NOT OPEN TO. NO. I MEAN, I DON'T THINK YOU YOU HAVE TO YOU CAN JUST HAVE CONSENSUS. OKAY? I CAN SAY, OKAY. YEAH, I'M HAPPY TO DO IT. AND YOU ALL CAN SAY, HAVE FUN.
YOU HAVE FUN, OKAY? HAVE FUN. JUST LIKE WHEN TRACY WAS DOING A LOT OF THE TRANSCRIPTION, THERE WAS NO MOTION. SHE JUST VOLUNTEERED TO DO IT. OKAY, SO I THINK THERE'S CONSENSUS. OKAY.
AND I THINK THERE'S A YEAH, I'LL TRY TO DRUM UP SOME INTEREST. OKAY. MY BEST. AND YEAH. OKAY. YOU DO THAT. IT'S A HARD CONCEPT I THINK FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE TO GRASP BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THEY REALLY APPRECIATE NOT ALL OF THEM, NOT EVERYBODY. BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T APPRECIATE THE GRAVITY OF WHAT WE'RE DOING. AND. YES, YES. SO I THINK THAT ALTHOUGH YOU'RE DESIGNATED AS A PERSON TO TRY AND DO THAT, I THINK IT'S REALLY INCUMBENT ON ALL OF US TO, YOU KNOW, CONTRIBUTE IDEAS OR SUGGESTIONS ON HOW THAT MIGHT BE BEST DONE TO APPEAL TO DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT, MAYBE DIFFERENT PEOPLE. AND I KNOW THAT YOU SEEM, I THINK AT LEAST MAY BE THE MOST FACEBOOK SOCIAL MEDIA ORIENTED. ONE OF THE GROUP I DON'T, I'M NOT SURE ABOUT JOHN. OH, I DON'T KNOW. SHE'S I'VE NEVER TALKED TO HER ABOUT IT. SO I'M AND I'M NOT. SO I SEE ROBERT ON THE OKAY AND PAUL I MEAN I, I CHECKED THE
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COMMUNITY THINGY BOARD WHATEVER IT IS NOW SINCE I'M DOING THIS JUST TO SEE I KIND OF SCROLL THROUGH IT, SEE IF THERE'S ANYTHING APPLICABLE AND DELETE, DELETE DELETE DELETE DELETE.OCCASIONALLY I'M JUST GOING THROUGH MY OTHER NOTES ON THIS. OKAY, I THINK THAT THAT PRETTY MUCH COVERS MY NOTES ON THE INTRODUCTION. OH, I JUST LOOKED DOWN AND SAW A HIGHLIGHTED THING THAT I MADE ON HERE, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS KIND OF INTERESTING. THEY REMARKED THAT IT'S ADVANTAGEOUS TO HAVE OFF YEAR NOVEMBER ELECTIONS TO FOCUS ATTENTION ON LOCAL ISSUES, AND IT'S KIND OF ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE IT'S LIKE, WELL, YOU KNOW, THAT KIND OF MAKES SENSE, TOO. YEAH. AS OPPOSED TO, YES, IT'S IN AN ELECTION WHERE EVERYBODY'S GOING TO VOTE BECAUSE IT'S THE PRESIDENT. AND BY THE TIME THEY GET TO THIS, THEY'RE LIKE, WHATEVER, AND DON'T VOTE WHATEVER, BLOW IT OFF. WHEREAS IF I WOULD LIKE TO THINK WHICH I KNOW IT'S NOT TRUE, BUT IF THERE'S AN ELECTION, IT SAYS, THIS IS FOR YOUR CITY CHARTER REVIEW THE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT FOR YOUR CITY. PEOPLE WOULD GO, OH, I MIGHT SHOULD TAKE A LOOK AT THIS. AND IT'S NOT BURIED IN A BUNCH OF STUFF. SO IT'S KIND OF LIKE, WELL, THAT SORT OF MAKES SENSE TO ME. YEAH, YEAH, I UNDERLINED THAT TOO. SO IT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION. I THINK IT MAKES SENSE. THE TRADE OFF WOULD BE THAT YOU WOULD BE DOING ALL OF YOUR ELECTIONS CONCURRENTLY, BASICALLY. AND I THINK WE DISCUSSED THE STAGGERING APPROACH AS THE BETTER WAY TO GO. THE STAGGERING APPROACH THEN BY NECESSITY, DETERMINES THAT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME OFF YEAR, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME PRESIDENTIAL AND YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME MIDTERMS. WITH THE STAGGERING APPROACH. IF YOU'RE GOING TO THROW IT ALL IN AND SAY, OKAY, EVERYBODY RUNS IN AN OFF YEAR ELECTION AND YOU ELECT YOUR ENTIRE COUNCIL, THAT COULD OPEN UP SOME MISCHIEF TO WELL, I THINK LIKE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THAT, ROBERT, I THINK THAT YOU WERE KIND OF PROMOTING IS POSSIBLY HAVING THIS REVIEW IF IT WAS DONE. ON THE MAY BALLOT, AND IF THAT WAS THE CASE, THEN IT WOULD PROBABLY BE THE ONLY THING ON THE MAY BALLOT FOR THE CITY. IF WE'RE ON THE CITY. YES. SO YOU WOULD HAVE ALL THE ATTENTION. SO YEAH, THE CITY PERSPECTIVE IN NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, THERE'S GOING TO BE POTENTIAL FOR MISCHIEF. THERE'S ALWAYS THERE. YOU JUST TRY TO MINIMIZE IT. YEAH. YEAH. AND THAT'S WHY I RECOMMEND THE STAGGERING APPROACH. AND WE GET LIKE THIS YEAR, FOR EXAMPLE, THE WAY WE'RE SET UP WITH OUR STAGGERING TWO YEAR TERMS, YOU COULD HAVE A MAJORITY OF THE COUNCIL TAKEN OVER BY A CLERK IN ONE YEAR. YEAH. IF YOU GO TO STAGGERING EVERY THREE YEARS, THEN IT WOULD REQUIRE AT LEAST TWO ELECTION CYCLES FOR A CLERK, SO TO SPEAK, TO ACQUIRE THE MAJORITY. I JUST I NEED A CLARIFICATION. ARE WE TALKING ABOUT TWO DIFFERENT THINGS? ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT SPECIFICALLY THE CHARTER APPROVAL OR ARE WE TALKING ABOUT GENERAL ELECTIONS? I WAS BUT BUT BUT THEN ROBERT STARTED TALKING. YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT I WAS TALKING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT. OH, I MISSED THAT. MY APOLOGIES. I THOUGHT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT. THAT'S RIGHT. I, THAT'S HOW I WAS ADDRESSING IT. BUT THEN I WASN'T SURE. ROBERT ELABORATED ON IT AND MADE IT EVEN MORE ENCOMPASSING. YEAH, I AGREE WITH YOU. I THINK I THINK STAGGERING IS. OKAY, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THE PREAMBLE AND SEE WHAT IF PEOPLE HAVE COMMENTS ON THE PREAMBLE. LINE 254. THERE'S YOUR PUBLIC, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. I'M. YEAH, I WOULDN'T USE THE PREAMBLE WORD FOR WORD FOR SURE. NO, I WOULDN'T EITHER. I LIKE I LIKE THAT SPECIFIC ONE. YEAH. THAT ONE LINE. OKAY. LET'S LOOK AT ARTICLE ONE POWERS OF THE CITY. I KIND OF LIKED SIMPLE, STRAIGHTFORWARD CLEAN APPROACH OF SECTION 101 102. AS OPPOSED TO OUR CURRENT ENUMERATION OF
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
THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. YOU SAID LINE 315. YEAH. IT SAYS THE COURTS OF SOME STATES DO NOT GIVE EFFECT TO A CHARTER STATEMENT OF POWERS EXPRESSED IN GENERAL TERMS. INSTEAD, THEY REQUIRE THAT THE CHARTER ENUMERATE ALL OF THE POWERS CLAIMED. AND THAT'S, YOU KNOW, TAILORED TO THE LAWS OF EACH STATE. SO I THINK WE COULD JUST LOOK BACK AT THE OTHER CHARTERS, I DON'T REMEMBER. THAT'S WHAT I WAS JUST. ROCKPORT HAS A GENERAL STATEMENT, BUT IT'S GOT FIVE THINGS UNDER IT. IT DOESN'T HAVE THE FULL LIST THAT WE DO. AND JUST BECAUSE THEY HAVE IT DOESN'T MEAN THE STATE IS VERY DETAILED. AND WE DECIDED WE DIDN'T LIKE THAT ONE BECAUSE. IT WAS TOO, TOO MUCH. I'M KIND OF IN MY MIND GOING BACK TO A STATEMENT, ROB, THAT YOU DID MADE JUST A MINUTE AGO, WHICH I THINK IS IN OUR CURRENT CHARTER. AND I MAY BOTCH THE WORDING, BUT I THINK THE WORDING SAYS WE CLAIM ALL POWERS, NOT THAT THE STATE ALLOWS US TO CLAIM. RIGHT. SO IT'S KIND OF AN UMBRELLA. WE'RE CLAIMING EVERYTHING AS OPPOSED TO THE OPPOSITE TEAM, WHICH YOU'RE ASKING THAT WE HAVE TO EXPLICITLY LIST EVERYTHING. I THINK OUR CURRENT CHARTER SAYS THAT WE HAVE THE GENERAL CLAUSE, BUT THEN WE HAVE AN ENUMERATION AS WELL. SO WE HAVE BOTH. RIGHT. AND WHAT I UNDERSTOOD JEAN'S QUESTION TO BE, DO WE HAVE TO ENUMERATE EVERYTHING OR IN ORDER FOR IT TO BE TO BE CLAIMED AS IF EVERYTHING HAD TO BE ENUMERATED, I WOULD SAY, JUST BY OUR CURRENT CHARTER WOULD SUGGEST NOT. YEAH. AND AUBREY'S ISN'T SO. AUBREY. AUBREY IS THE GENERAL CATCHALL PARAGRAPH. OKAY. SELENA IS VERY DETAILED, EVEN MORE DETAILED WITH THE ENUMERATION THAN WHAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE. AND THEN ROCKPORT. SELENA ALSO HAS THE CATCHALL PARAGRAPH. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE KIND OF IN BETWEEN.
ROCKPORT IS IN BETWEEN. THEY SAY WE GRAB IT ALL AND THEN, OH, BY THE WAY, HERE'S FIVE SPECIFICS, BUT I THINK IT'S AUBREY JUST HAS THE GENERAL. AND I THINK THAT ANSWERS JEAN'S QUESTION RIGHT. CLEARLY IT WOULD BE LEGAL IN TEXAS. SO. YEAH. SO THEY THEY DO SAY THAT WE, WE WE CAN DO EVERYTHING AND BUT THEN THEY ALSO GO ON AND LIST TAXING FIXING RATES, ALL THE INDIVIDUAL PARTICULARS, EVEN THOUGH THEY DO HAVE THE CATCH ALL PHRASE. AS WELL. AND THEN THEY HAVE ANOTHER PHRASE THAT SAYS THE ENUMERATION OF PARTICULAR POWERS IN THE CHARTER SHALL NOT BE HELD OR DEEMED TO BE EXCLUSIVE. SO SOUNDS LIKE TEXAS DOESN'T REQUIRE IT. YEAH. OKAY. ANY OTHER COMMENTS ON TWO OR SHOULD WE MOVE TO THREE THIS. NO. ANY OTHER COMMENTS ON ARTICLE ONE. SHOULD WE MOVE TO TWO WHICH IS CITY COUNCIL? I'LL START WHERE THE REST OF YOU LOOKING. I FOUND THEIR DESCRIPTION OF. THE THE. IT IS A LEGISLATIVE ORGAN
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OF THE CITY EXERCISING ALL THE AUTHORITY WHICH THE MUNICIPAL CORPORATION POSSESSES YOU ON.OH LINE 397, WITH ONE EXCEPTION, WITH ONE IMPORTANT EXCEPTION ONLY. THIS RESTRICTION IS THAT THE CITY COUNCIL, ONCE IT SELECTS A CITY MANAGER, DEVOLVES ALL DIRECT ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITY UPON HIM. AND I THINK THAT THIS WHOLE. THIS WHOLE MODEL CHARTER IS VERY EMPHATIC IN THAT THEY THEY EMPHASIZE THAT IN A DOZEN DIFFERENT WAYS THAT THE CITY, THE CITY MANAGER, IS, IS THE MANAGER. HE'S. SO THAT WAS KIND OF ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DEBATED A LOT IN OUR INITIAL GO AROUND. AND IT WAS SOMETHING THAT SOME OF OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS WERE QUESTIONING AND SUGGESTING IT BE CHANGED. AND AT LEAST IN THIS CHART, IN THIS MODEL CHARTER, THEY'RE VERY ADAMANT ABOUT KEEPING THE LINES OF AUTHORITY VERY SPECIFIC AND VERY, VERY CLEAR. YEP. WE IF YOU RECALL, WE HAD A DISCUSSION DIFFERENCE BETWEEN QUALIFIED VOTERS AND REGISTERED VOTERS. WE WERE CHANGING THINGS. THE REGISTERED VOTERS. AND BRAD SAID, YOU CAN'T DO THAT. IT'S GOT TO BE QUALIFIED VOTERS. AND HE GAVE THE RATIONALE WHY I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT IT IS, BUT I JUST ON LINE 416, THEY TALK ABOUT ONLY REGISTERED VOTERS OF THE CITY SHALL BE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE. SO I THOUGHT, YEAH. YEAH, I THINK WHERE THAT GOT INTO IS WHAT IS THE COUNTS IF YOU'RE DOING PETITIONS AND WHAT BECAUSE CLEARLY YOU'RE GOING TO BE REGISTERED VOTER TO VOTE IN AN ELECTION. BUT DO YOU HAVE TO BE A REGISTERED VOTER OR A QUALIFIED VOTER TO SIGN A PETITION? I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE STARTED. YEAH, OKAY. THAT IS SPLITTING HAIRS. YEAH. BECAUSE OUR OPINION WAS IF YOU WANT TO SIGN A PETITION, YOU NEED TO BE A REGISTERED VOTER. AND APPARENTLY THAT'S NOT THE CASE. OKAY, OKAY. I LIKED IN HERE HOW THEY IDENTIFIED REALLY CLEARLY. AND I THINK IT'S IN THE COMMENTARY. YEAH, IT'S IN THE COMMENTARY. IT'S NOT IN THE CHARTER. BUT I LIKE THE WAY THEY WERE VERY, VERY THEY VERY, VERY CLEAR AGAIN ABOUT THE THE MAYOR'S ROLE WITH THE MAYOR. OKAY. AND I'M, I'M ON LINE. 540 800. SHOULD I GO BACK TO AN EARLIER LINE REAL QUICK? SURE. OKAY. I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T I DIDN'T REALIZE WHERE WE WHERE WE WERE. IT'S INTERESTING THAT THEY DO NOT THEY'RE NOT ADVOCATES OF OF TERM LIMITS. YES. WHICH I THOUGHT WAS WAS. INTERESTING. AND THEY ADVOCATED SMALLER CITY COUNCILS AS AN EFFECTIVE INSTRUMENT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROGRAMS AND CONDUCT OF MUNICIPALITIES. YEAH. YEAH. THAT. YEAH. THAT WAS, THAT WAS INTERESTING TO. THAT'S JUST PART OF THAT. I'M SORRY. WELL THAT'S OKAY. I ALSO OH AND UNDER THE COMMENTARIES FROM BASICALLY 457 461 OR 60 I THINK IS WHERE I, WHERE I STARTED HIGHLIGHTING THEY'RE NOT NECESSARILY FANS OF AT LARGE ELECTIONS, WHETHER, YOU KNOW, WHETHER THEY BE PLACES OR OR WHAT HAVE YOU. IN FACT, I THINK THEY DID HAVE THE OH. I WISH I HAD A BETTER GRASP OF WHERE I SAW IT, BUT THEY ACTUALLY, I THOUGHT, WHICH WAS INTERESTING HAD A THEY'RE ADVOCATING A MIX OF, YOU KNOW, AT LARGE AND DISTRICTS AND I THE MORE I STARTED THINKING ABOUT THAT, IT'S LIKE, WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT? I DON'T THINK WE HAVE A DIVERSITY PER SE, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF RACIAL OR OR I THINK WE DO HAVE SOCIOECONOMIC. SEGMENTS BECAUSE YOU CAN'T CONVINCE ME THAT THE SAME VOTING BLOC IN THE LOWER BERKELEY AREA AROUND COYOTE TRAIL AND WHATNOT HAS THE SAME VOTING INTERESTS AS THE VOTERS IN CICERO, AS AN EXAMPLE, I THINK I THINK THEY ARE DEFINITELY DIVERGENT. YOU KNOW, VOTING BLOCS. SO I WONDER IF
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THERE IS SOMETHING TO, YOU KNOW, MAYBE HAVE DISTRICTS OR WARDS IN ADDITION TO AT LARGE, YOU KNOW, SEATS? JUST A THOUGHT. I THINK THAT YOU RAISE A GOOD POINT. THERE'S A, YOU KNOW, IN THE ABSTRACT, I THINK THAT SOME LIKE WHEN YOU WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT LIKE THE BERKELEY AREA VERSUS, LET'S SAY TO SARAH AND, AND SOME OF THE OTHER DEVELOPMENTS, THERE'S A LOT MORE. INHABITANTS IN IN THE TO SARAH AND THE OTHERS AND, AND SO TO TO MAKE A DISTRICT THAT WOULD BE THAT SMALL TO REPRESENT. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S DOABLE. YEAH. I DON'T KNOW. AND YOU'D HAVE TO KIND OF WORK, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WERE WORKING A GEOGRAPHIC CENTER, IT WOULD CENTERED AROUND THAT AND MAYBE REACH OUT AROUND THAT. YEAH. JUST JUST A THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE FOR COUNCIL. WELL I GET, I GET THE IF I CAN I KIND OF UNDERSTAND THE NOTION BEHIND HAVING THE DISTRICTS AT ONE POINT. THE PROBLEM IS IN THE EXECUTION. EVEN THIS MODEL CHARTER HAS GOT A PROBLEM. WHEN YOU GET INTO THE ACTUAL HOW DO YOU DRAW DISTRICTS AND AFTER THE CENSUS IS DONE, CHARTER, THE COUNCIL IS REQUIRED TO HAVE A COMMITTEE THAT ADOPTS NEW DISTRICTS, AND IT HAS TO MEET ALL THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT STUFF. SO YOU YOU OPEN UP THAT WHOLE CAN OF WORMS AND THEN OH, BY THE WAY, IT SAYS YOU GOTTA HAVE THE DISTRICTS DRAWN 300 DAYS BEFORE THE NEXT GENERAL ELECTION. WELL, THAT IS AN IMPOSSIBILITY. IF YOU HAVE A CENSUS RELEASED IN JANUARY AND YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE COUNCIL DRAW DISTRICTS AND HAVE IT AVAILABLE 300 DAYS BEFORE NOVEMBER. SO I WOULD BE CURIOUS TO SEE HOW EVEN THIS MODEL CHARTER COULD POSSIBLY BE EXECUTED IN A STAGGERING ENVIRONMENT WHERE YOU HAVE A MUNICIPAL ELECTION EVERY YEAR, IT JUST YOU JUST THE MATH DOESN'T WORK WITH THE CALENDAR.SO WE WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH DRAFTING A WHOLE NEW SET OF GYMNASTICS TO MAKE LEGALLY DEFENSIBLE DISTRICTS. AND IT'S IN MY OPINION, IT'S IT'S IT'S A SOLUTION IN SEARCH OF A NON-PROBLEM, YOU KNOW. YEAH. WE TALKED AT LENGTH ABOUT THIS PREVIOUSLY, AND WE CAME DOWN ON NOT HAVING DISTRICTS FOR A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT REASONS. AND THE ONE, THE ONE THING THAT.
THAT I DON'T LIKE ABOUT THEM IS KIND OF ROBERT ALLUDED TO WHEN YOU START DRAWING DISTRICTS, THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES FOR MISCHIEF, IF YOU WILL, GERRYMANDERING. YES. THAT WORD AND AND I HAPPEN TO LOOK AT THE DISTRICTS FOR TEXAS. I FORGET WHICH WHICH DISTRICT OR WHATEVER. AND I'M JUST LOOKING AT IT AND IT LOOKS LIKE THIS STRING OF SPAGHETTI AND I'M GOING, THAT'S ABSURD. AND IF THE COUNCIL IS DOING ITS JOB THE WAY I UNDERSTAND IT, REPRESENTING THE RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF LAGO VISTA, IT SHOULDN'T MATTER IF THEY'RE IN A DISTRICT OR NOT. THEY'RE HERE TO SERVE EVERYBODY. SO THAT WAS ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT I LOOKED AT AND SAID, WELL, THAT'S INTERESTING. IT'S AN INTERESTING TAKE. I APPRECIATE THE PERSPECTIVE, BUT I DON'T THINK IT FITS FOR LONG ENOUGH. I AGREE THAT I DON'T THINK IT FITS FOR LAGO. I DON'T THINK THAT WE HAVE. I DON'T THINK WE HAVE. LARGE, LARGE GROUPS OF, OF, OF IDENTIFIABLY DEMOGRAPHICALLY DIFFERENT PEOPLE. I MEAN, LIKE YOU POINT TO THAT ONE, WHICH IT'S. I ULTIMATELY WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT IT'S THAT DEMOGRAPHIC IS NOT JUST IN BERKELEY AREA, BUT THAT IT'S SOMEWHERE ELSE. SO THEN WE THEN IT BECOMES EVEN MORE CHALLENGING TO TRY TO HAVE A DISTRICT THAT WOULD REPRESENT THAT DEMOGRAPHIC. SO I KIND OF REALLY WANT TO SEE. OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY PROVIDE HOUSING FOR THAT. SO I GUESS WHAT I'M SAYING IS I DON'T SEE HOW WE COULD HOW WE COULD DO IT IN LAGO. AND I ALMOST DON'T WANT LAGO TO BE THAT WE BE ABLE TO DO IT, IF THAT MAKES SENSE. OKAY, OKAY. JEAN, YOU LOOK LIKE YOU LIKE. YOU'RE READY TO SAY SOMETHING. OH, I'VE JUST GOT A LOT OF THINGS RUNNING THROUGH MY HEAD, AND I'M JUST KIND OF THINKING, DO I SHOULD, I SHOULD, I DO, I NEED TO AND I THINK WE'RE DONE ON THAT TOPIC THOUGH REALISTICALLY. ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT. NO. OH, NO. I'M, I'M YOU
[00:35:07]
KNOW, I YOU KNOW, PAUL KNOWS THIS BECAUSE WE'RE FRIENDS GOING BACK A LONG TIME. I AM A FAN OF OF PRECINCTS, AWARDS OR DISTRICTS OR WHATEVER BECAUSE I THINK IT MAKES VOTERS I SHOULD SAY IT MAKES COUNCIL MEMBERS MORE TIME TO THEIR LOCAL RESIDENTS AND MORE RESPONSIVE OR RESPONSIBLE TO THEM SO THEY GET THEIR VOTES. BUT I DO KNOW THAT THERE WAS A FLIP SIDE OF THAT. AND, YOU KNOW, IT COULD CAUSE LIKE PAROCHIALISM IN TERMS OF THE DIFFERENT DISTRICTS GOING. SO I THINK IT'S KIND OF AT THE FOREFRONT, I THINK RIGHT NOW IN THE CITY, BECAUSE WHAT YOU'RE BRINGING UP, BECAUSE WE'RE WORKING ON THE COMP PLAN AND THE FUTURE LAND USE MAPS. AND SO WE'RE THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE HOW THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP SHOULD LOOK. AND I KNOW WHEN I LOOK AT IT, I'M THINKING. A, A, A MORE EVEN DISTRIBUTION OF, OF DEMOGRAPHICS THROUGHOUT THE CITY RATHER THAN POCKETS. I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S REALISTIC, BUT I THINK THAT IF WE HAD A FUTURE LAND USE MAP THAT. YOU KNOW, KIND OF PROVIDED FOR THAT OR ENCOURAGED THAT, THAT IT WOULD IT WOULD BE MORE LIKELY TO HAPPEN. I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY. DOES ANYBODY LIVE IN TO SARAH HERE? NO. OKAY. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE EVER DRIVEN BY, YOU KNOW, THROUGH THERE LATELY, BUT THE POLITICAL SCIENCE UP THERE, ARE THERE A TREMENDOUS NUMBER OF THEM. ARE THERE. THERE ARE ONLY THREE CANDIDATES RIGHT NOW THAT ARE THAT LIVE IN SARASOTA. I MEAN, LOOKING FORWARD FIVE, EVEN TEN YEARS. WHEN THAT FINISHES, DON'T BE SURPRISED IF YOU HAVE A COUNCIL THAT IS FULLY SEATED BY RESIDENTS. OKAY. WELL, THAT'S A VERY GOOD POINT, MARK. I MEAN, I WAS NOT AWARE OF THAT, BUT THAT'S THAT'S A GOOD POINT TOO, YOU KNOW, FROM IF POLITICAL SIGNS ARE ANY INDICATION, THEY ARE THEY'RE VERY ACTIVE RIGHT NOW. AND I THINK I THINK THERE ARE THREE CANDIDATES. THERE ARE ONE FOR SURE IS GOING TO GET IN BECAUSE DAVID, WHAT'S HIS NAME. YEAH. HE'S HE'S TO SARAH JESS HALL IS IS TO SARAH AND AMANDA IS KING TO DAVID KING IS. HE'S ON THE AIRPORT. YEAH. ALL RIGHT.BECAUSE HIS HOUSE GOT FLOODED. YEAH. SOMETHING LIKE THAT. AIRPORT. OH, I THOUGHT HE WAS.
WELL, MAYBE HE WAS BUILDING LOTS OUT BY THE AIRPORT. I TIED HIM TO SOMETHING OUT BY THAT.
DID SOMETHING NEXT TO THE CONSERVATORY CONSERVANCY, I STAND CORRECTED. I THOUGHT HE WAS THE CONSERVATORY. EITHER HE WAS TALKING ABOUT SOME OF THE COMPLAINTS HE HAD. BUILDING HOUSES THAT OVERLOOKED THE CONSERVANCY. OH. THE CONSERVANCY. OH, MAYBE THAT'S WORK RELATED AND NOT WHERE HE PERSONALLY LIVES. YEAH, YEAH, I'M SORRY. PSYCHOTROPIC. OKAY, CAN WE GO TO SIX TO LINE 600 AT THIS POINT? THAT'S OKAY. AGAIN, I THOUGHT THAT THEY WERE VERY CLEAR ON THE PROHIBITIONS AND APPOINTMENTS AND REMOVALS AND INTERFERENCE WITH ADMINISTRATION. AND I THOUGHT THEY WERE VERY CLEAR ON THE WAY THEY THEY LAID THAT OUT. AND I THINK WHEN WE GET BACK TO OUR CHARTER, IF WE ARE GOING TO REVISIT THAT SECTION, WHICH KIND OF WAS CONTENTIOUS THE FIRST TIME AROUND, I THOUGHT THAT THEY DID A GOOD I THOUGHT THEY DID A GOOD JOB OF CLEARLY LAYING OUT WHAT WHAT BASICALLY WHAT CONSTITUTES INTERFERENCE AND WHAT DOESN'T. AND THEY EVEN TALKED ABOUT THE GENERAL POLICY OF NONINTERFERENCE DOES NOT EXCLUDE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MANAGER, AND QUESTIONS OF APPOINTMENT AND REMOVAL. I MEAN, IT IT IT WAS IT WAS JUST BECAUSE WE SPENT SO MUCH TIME ON IT AND BECAUSE IT WAS SO CONTENTIOUS, I HAD A REAL APPRECIATION FOR THE WAY THEY WERE ABLE TO LAY IT OUT. I FOUND IT INTERESTING, THIS REFERENCE TO A BOARD OF ETHICS ONLINE 606, AND THERE'S ACTUALLY A WHOLE SECTION 8.01 B THAT CREATES A BOARD OF ETHICS. SO I JUST HIGHLIGHTED THAT AS I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S WORTH COUNCIL STANDING UP. A BOARD OF ETHICS. ON THE OTHER HAND, IF WE HAVE COMPLAINTS ABOUT COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVING A CITIZEN BOARD OF ETHICS AND TAKING IT OUT OF COUNCIL'S HANDS, AT LEAST AS FAR AS THE INVESTIGATIVE AND THE RECOMMENDATION PART MIGHT BE A GOOD THING. I DON'T KNOW, I JUST CALLED IT OUT AS AN
[00:40:05]
INTERESTING CONCEPT. I DID TOO, AND ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT THIS, THE BOARD OF ETHICS THAT THEY HAVE IN HERE, AND AT ONE POINT A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, I DID A PRETTY EXTENSIVE SEARCH AND LOOKED INTO THE BOARDS OF ETHICS IN OTHER TEXAS MUNICIPALITIES BECAUSE I WAS INTERESTED IN THE CITY ESTABLISHING A BOARD OF ETHICS. BUT ALMOST ALL OF THEM, INCLUDING THE ONE IN HERE, ADDRESSES JUST FINANCIAL IMPROPRIETIES AND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND CONFLICT OF INTEREST. AND I THINK THAT THAT'S PRETTY MUCH MINIMAL. BUT THERE ARE OTHER THINGS THAT I THINK SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BY A BOARD OF ETHICS IN THE CITY.AND AT THE TIME, THE ONLY ONE THAT I FOUND THAT KIND OF LIKE. WAS LIKE ON THE NOSE AS FAR AS WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR WAS MAPLE. I THINK IT'S MAPLE PARK. IS IT IS IT THE IS IT THE COMMUNITY? IS IT MAPLE PARK THAT'S NEAR MARBLE FALLS? I DON'T KNOW, IT'S A SMALL COMMUNITY. IT'S VERY SMALL, AS A MATTER OF FACT, I CAN'T WELL MOUNTAIN OUT THERE. IT'S NOT.
NO, IT'S IT'S IT'S IT'S BEFORE YOU GET TO MARBLE FALLS. ANYWAY. MEADOW LAKE. MEADOW LAKE IS WHAT I'M THINKING OF. MEADOW LAKE'S BOARD OF ETHICS, ACTUALLY, TO ME, WAS LIKE A REALLY A MODEL THAT I WOULD LIKE TO ADOPT. AND FOR OUR CITY. AND AT THE TIME WHEN I BROUGHT IT UP TO THIS WAS A PREVIOUS, MAYBE EVEN A COUPLE PREVIOUS COUNCILS AGO, ROB DURBIN SAID, WE CAN'T HAVE A BOARD OF ETHICS BECAUSE IT WOULD HAVE TO. YOU'D HAVE TO BE AN ATTORNEY TO DO THE INVESTIGATIONS. BUT SINCE THAT TIME, I'VE LOOKED INTO IT EVEN MORE, AND I THINK THAT IF THINGS GOT TO A CERTAIN POINT OR A CERTAIN LEVEL, WE WOULDN'T NEED AN ATTORNEY. WE COULD CALL IN THE TEXAS RANGERS IF NECESSARY, SO IT WOULDN'T HAVE TO BE AN ATTORNEY ON THE BOARD OF ETHICS. IT COULD BE CALLED IT ANYWAY. IT'S PROBABLY MORE THAN YOU EXPECTED ON THAT. BUT I DID ALSO REALLY RESONATE WITH THE BOARD OF ETHICS IN HERE. I STILL THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT THE CITY SHOULD CONSIDER. I MEAN, IT'S NOT SOMETHING I'VE EVER, LIKE, DECIDED WE DIDN'T NEED TO. I STILL THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD AND CERTAINLY IS. YOU KNOW, AS AS TIMES CHANGE, IT SEEMS LIKE WE WOULD WE WOULD NEED TO CONSIDER IT MORE THAN WE DID IN THE PAST.
I THINK CURIOSITY IS THAT BOARD OF ETHICS OF MEADOW LAKE. IS IT AN INDEPENDENT BODY NOT ATTACHED TO COUNCIL OR. YES. OKAY. YES, I LIKE THAT IDEA, GOES. IT'S DISCONNECTED. YEAH.
I MEAN IT'S APPOINTED THE MEMBERS ARE APPOINTED BY COUNCIL IF YOU READ THEIR. 801 B AND LIKE YOU, I THOUGHT IF NOTHING ELSE THE NOTES I MADE IS IT PROVIDES GOOD OPTICS TO THE COMMUNITY IN TERMS OF TRANSPARENCY. BUT IT WOULD ALSO NEED TO GO BEYOND JUST CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES. YES, YES. WELL, MAYBE WHEN WE GET MAYBE WHEN WE GET TO OUR CHARTER, MAYBE WE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE COULD TAKE UP BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S KIND OF A CONSENSUS GENE. ARE YOU KIND OF ARE YOU IN FAVOR OR NOT? I DON'T REALLY HAVE A STRONG OPINION RIGHT NOW. I. I INITIALLY I WAS THINKING, NO, BUT I'M SITTING HERE AND LISTENING TO DIFFERENT THINGS AND I WAS LIKE, OH, THERE MIGHT BE SOME VALIDITY TO THAT. I'M GOING TO GO SEE IF I CAN'T FIND A MEADOW LAKE COPY OF THEIR AND LOOK AT WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY. WELL, AND I DON'T REMEMBER IT IN DETAIL AT THIS POINT, THIS GOES BACK TO I REMEMBER THAT AARON WAS THE ATTORNEY AT THE TIME THAT I WAS REALLY DOING THIS RESEARCH TO KIND OF GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHEN I WAS DOING IT. SO IT WAS IT WAS A WHILE AGO, SO I DON'T REMEMBER THE DETAILS. BUT I DO REMEMBER THAT OUT OF ALL THE MUNICIPALITIES BOARD OF ETHICS THAT I LOOKED INTO, THAT WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT HAD PROVISION FOR SOMETHING BESIDES CONFLICT OF INTEREST OR FINANCIAL IMPROPRIETY. SO ANYWAY, AND IT'S A REALLY SMALL I'M TRYING TO FIND IT. I'VE NOT SUCCESSFULLY FOUND MEADOW LAKE, TEXAS. THERE IS A LAKE CALLED MEADOW LAKE, BUT I HAVEN'T FOUND THAT COMMUNITY. IT'S IT'S IT'S VERY SMALL AND IT'S ON THE WAY TO MARBLE FALLS. AND THERE'S A RESTAURANT IN THAT COMMUNITY THAT ARE IN THE IN THE MEADOW LAKE. THAT'S PRETTY GOOD. I CAN'T THINK HAS NOT BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN FINDING IT. YEAH. I CAN'T THINK OF A I GO OUT THERE PERIODICALLY BECAUSE
[00:45:01]
I HAVE RELATIVES AND I'M WONDERING ABOUT THAT WAY. YEAH, MAYBE YOU CAN FIND IT. YEAH, I'LL SEE IF I CAN FIND IT, BUT OKAY. WE SHOULD PROBABLY MOVE ON, BUT I THINK I THINK THAT THERE'S PROBABLY INTEREST IN ADDRESSING IT. I WOULD SAY IT'S WORTH TALKING ABOUT WHEN WE GET TO WORKING ON OUR I MEAN, I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN THE DISCUSSION. YES. MY NEXT COMMENT ISN'T UNTIL LINE 786. DOES SOMEONE HAVE SOMETHING BEFORE THAT? NO, JUST THEY THEY, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, IT'S REHASHING SOME OLD STUFF, BUT IT'S GOING TO HAVE TO COME UP IS THAT THEY RESTRICT COUNCIL OR ITS MEMBERS TO DEALING WITH CITY OFFICES OR EMPLOYEES WHO ARE SUBJECT TO THE SUPERVISION OF CITY MANAGER SOLELY THROUGH THE CITY MANAGER. OKAY, THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THAT. IT'S ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE CASES. AND THEY'RE PROMOTING HAVING AN ANNUAL REVIEW FOR THE CITY MANAGER. I THOUGHT THAT WAS I THINK WE DO THAT IN RULES OF PROCEDURE.ISN'T THAT IN OUR RULES OF PROCEDURE THAT WE DO THAT MAYBE I BELIEVE IT'S BUILT INTO THE CONTRACT THAT WE'VE HAD IN PLACE FOR THE LAST FEW CITY MANAGERS. AND I KNOW WHEN TRACY CAME IN, SHE WANTED IT IN HER CONTRACT TO GET AN ANNUAL REVIEW. IT WAS DEFINITELY IN HER CONTRACT. AND I THINK IT'S IN MR. WEST'S CONTRACT AS WELL. SO OUR OUR HABIT HAS CERTAINLY BEEN TO DO A REVIEW AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR. THAT SEEMS LIKE A BETTER WAY TO DO IT, TO AVOID THE WHOLE. NOW WE HAVE TO AMEND THE CHARTER BECAUSE WE WANT TO CHANGE THAT, KEEP IT OUT OF THE CHARTER. YEAH, WHAT WHAT NUMBER ARE YOU AT? 27 785? 785. BUT MARK, THERE'S LIKE GO BACK IN THIS. WE CAN OH THAT'S OKAY. I JUST, I JUST I DON'T WANT TO MISS IT. SO. OKAY. ALL RIGHT.
SO THE ONLY THING I WANTED TO SAY ABOUT LINE 785 IS THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF ORDINANCES.
THE ADOPTED ORDINANCES ARE EFFECTIVE 30 DAYS AFTER ADOPTION OR AT ANY LATER DATE SPECIFIED THEREIN. AND I DIDN'T KNOW THAT I THOUGHT ORDINANCES COULD BE EFFECTIVE UPON COUNCIL VOTING. AND. I THINK THEY CAN BE. THEY'RE JUST THIS IS JUST WHAT THEY'RE ADVOCATING FOR, RIGHT? IT DOESN'T SAY YOU HAVE TO DO THAT. THAT'S RIGHT, THAT'S RIGHT. AND I DON'T PARTICULARLY BECAUSE IT SEEMED LIKE WE HAD SOMETHING COME UP WHERE SOMETHING GOT PASSED AND IT NEVER GOT SIGNED OR IT'S GOING TO GET SIGNED ACTUALLY TOMORROW IT'S ON TOMORROW'S COUNCIL TOOK A WHILE. THREE. THERE'S THREE OF THEM. YEAH. THAT ARE GOING TO BE SIGNED TOMORROW. BUT OKAY. THAT'S A GOOD POINT THOUGH. THIS IS THIS MAY JUST PERTAIN TO THEM. YEAH I WOULD LEAVE IT FLEXIBLE BECAUSE IT COULD BE CONTENT DEPENDENT. THERE MAY BE AN ORDINANCE THAT YOU WANT TO GRANDFATHER. THERE MAY BE AN ORDINANCE THAT YOU WANT TO GIVE SIX MONTHS NOTICE ON. THERE MAY BE AN ORDINANCE LIKE CHANGING THE SPEED LIMIT YOU WANT TO DO TOMORROW. RIGHT. YOU KNOW, SO I WOULDN'T PUT IT IN THE CHARTER. YOU'RE RIGHT. I WOULD LET EACH ORDINANCE KIND OF SPECIFY THEIR OWN. I WASN'T AWARE OF THIS LAW, BUT THAT'S RIGHT. IT'S NO, NO.
LINE. THERE'S A WHOLE THROUGH IT. 690 JUST TALKS ABOUT THE CITY COUNCIL OR THE CITY MANAGER SHALL APPOINT AN OFFICER OF THE CITY, WHO SHALL HAVE THE TITLE OF CITY CLERK.
YOU DON'T TALK ABOUT CITY SECRETARY. SO OR MAYBE THEY DO FURTHER, FURTHER ALONG. AND I JUST DON'T REMEMBER. BUT I THOUGHT THAT'S KIND OF DIFFERENT. EITHER ONE CAN APPOINT THE CITY CLERK. THAT'S RIGHT. BECAUSE I THINK SOME SOME CITIES HAVE CITY CLERKS AND SOME HAVE CITY SECRETARIES. IT'S THE SAME POSITION. WELL, THAT'S THAT WAS MY THINKING. IS IS IT THE SAME OR IS IT SOMETHING SPECIFIC BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S THE SAME THING.
BUT OUR CITY SECRETARY IS NOT AN EITHER OR. I DON'T BELIEVE NO, SHE'S A CITY SECRETARY. NO, NO, NO, I MEAN SHE'S NOT APPOINTED BY EITHER THIS GROUP OR THAT GUY. RIGHT? OH, SHE'S AN END. YOU MEAN SHE IS APPOINTED BY. I THINK, CITY COUNCIL? YEAH, I THINK IT'S BY CITY COUNCIL. I'M JUST I'M, I HAVE IT IN MY HEAD A LITTLE BIT OF THIS, THIS DISCUSSION, A FEW MEETINGS BACK. WE DON'T CITY COUNCIL DOES NOT APPOINT THE CITY COUNCIL SELECTS THE CITY MANAGER. RIGHT. BUT AS I REMEMBER OUR CHARTER, THERE ARE SOME POSITIONS THAT THE CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDS FOR APPROVAL. CITY COUNCIL WOULD THEN APPROVE. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF POSITIONS THAT ARE NOT EVEN DESIGNATED IN THAT BY BY LACK OF OTHER STATEMENT. THE IMPLICATION IS
[00:50:03]
THE CITY MANAGER JUST APPOINTS THEM. SO SOME OF THE SOME OF THE DIRECTORS, FOR EXAMPLE, ARE NOT CALLED OUT IN OUR CURRENT CHARTER, BUT OTHERS ARE. SO I THINK THAT IF I REMEMBER RIGHT, THE CITY SECRETARY. MAYBE CITY ATTORNEY AND THE POLICE CHIEF ARE THE THREE OF THEM RECALLING WHERE THE CITY MANAGER MAKES A RECOMMENDATION. BUT THE CITY COUNCIL WOULD RECORD APPROVAL, AND WE'VE GOT THAT BOOKMARKED TO COME BACK TO. BUT I THINK TO YOUR LARGER POINT, AND I JUST BLEW BY THAT AND SAID, IT'S DUMB, BECAUSE WHAT HAPPENS IF THE COUNCIL APPOINTS ONE PERSON AND CITY MANAGER APPOINTS SOMEBODY ELSE? AND NOW WE GOT TWO CLERKS. SO IT IS THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF A MODEL CHARTER, NOT WELL WRITTEN IN MY OPINION. YEAH. THAT CREATES A POTENTIAL CONFLICT. AND SO AUTOMATICALLY YOU HAVE CONFLICT. YEAH I BLEW RIGHT BY THAT ONE. NOT SOMETHING WE WANT TO ADOPT. WELL THEN YOU'VE REALLY GOT A DYSFUNCTIONAL CITY ISN'T IT.YEAH. WHAT'S GOING ON. SO DON'T ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN IN YOUR CHARTER. DON'T EVEN OPEN THAT DOOR. RIGHT. YEAH. I'M SURE IT WAS WRITTEN SO THAT COUNCIL COULD MAKE AN APPOINTMENT IF THE CITY MANAGER POSITION WAS VACANT OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SO YOU DON'T HAVE THE CLERK JUST SITTING OPEN, OR THE SECRETARY IN OUR CASE, JUST SITTING OPEN. BUT YEAH, THE WAY IT'S WRITTEN, IT ALSO OPENS THE DOOR TO OTHER MISCHIEF. GENE. YEAH. THE OTHER THING THAT I HIGHLIGHTED, I'M JUST LOOKING THROUGH THIS THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY UNDER SECTION 210 ON LINE 697 INVESTIGATIONS THEY ACTUALLY HAVE IN THERE TO DEFINE A DOLLAR AMOUNT AND A TIME OF IMPRISONMENT. IF YOU'RE FOUND GUILTY OF WHATEVER DURING AN INVESTIGATION. AND I DON'T THINK THAT'S I WOULDN'T WANT TO SEE THAT IN THE CHARTER FOR ALL THE REASONS THAT WE'VE ALREADY SAID. NOW YOU HAVE TO HAVE AN AMENDMENT TO CHANGE IT. YEAH. SO THAT'S A NO, I AGREE. AND THEY SPELLED OUT ON LINE 714 AT SPECIAL MEETINGS MAY BE HELD ON THE CALL OF THE MAYOR OR OF A CERTAIN NUMBER OF COUNCIL MEMBERS. IT'S PRETTY CLEAR. YEAH. IT'S NOT JUST ONE PERSON.
NO, IT'S EITHER OR. YEAH. I LIKE THAT. WE HAD TALKED ABOUT AND I KNOW WE WENT OVER THIS ABOUT THE READING OF ORDINANCES OR NOT READING OF THE ORDINANCES. AND IN THE COMMENTARY AT 793, IT TALKS ABOUT HOW THEY DISPENSE WITH THE UNNECESSARY AND CUMBERSOME REQUIREMENTS OF A FULL MEETING, BECAUSE WE CAN DISTRIBUTE THE TEXT BEFOREHAND AND THAT THAT'S SUFFICE. THAT'S SUFFICIENT FOR MEETINGS, STATE STATUTE, AS FAR AS HAVING READINGS, DIFFERENT STATUTES REQUIRE ONE, SOME REQUIRE ONE READING, SOME REQUIRE TWO. BUT THIS TALKS ABOUT DISTRIBUTING THE FULL PUBLICATION OF THE ORDINANCE. TO EACH COUNCIL MEMBER. YEAH, BUT ALSO IT SAID SOMEWHERE ON HERE THAT THEY'RE AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC INSPECTION. I THINK AT LEAST 1 OR 2 THE OTHER, THE OTHER CHARTER IS KIND OF HAVE HAVE SIMILAR LANGUAGE WHERE JUST THE TITLE OF THE ORDINANCE HAS TO BE READ AND IT'S BASICALLY THE ORDINANCES PROVIDED TO COUNCIL OR, AND, OR THE PUBLIC. BUT I THINK IT IN HERE, YOU KNOW, IF, IF A COUNCIL MEMBER REQUESTS FOR READING, WE'LL DO THAT. YEAH. I JUST LIKE THE IDEA OF READING IT BECAUSE THAT WAY IF SOMEONE HASN'T READ IT, OR MAYBE THERE'S A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC WHO DOESN'T HAVE ACCESS TO A COMPUTER OR WHATEVER. SO YOU LIKE THE IDEA OF READING THE ENTIRE ORDINANCE AT THE AT THE MEETING? YEAH. KIND OF. YEAH. I HAVE A QUESTION FOR PAUL. ARE YOU DOING THAT NOW? ARE YOU? READING THE ORDINANCE? WE WE AGREED THAT THE AGENDA TITLE AND THEN A MOTION FOR IF WE'RE CONSIDERING ADOPTING A NEW ORDINANCE, THAT A MOTION TO ADOPT THE ORDINANCE IN THE MOTION, THE ONLY THING THAT HAS TO BE STATED IS THE NUMBER OF ORDINANCE. NUMBER OF 25, OH SIX, OH SEVEN, WHATEVER IT IS. RIGHT. AND AND SO THE ORDINANCE ITSELF IS NOT BEING READ. BUT THAT SUMMARY BEFORE THE DISCUSSION STARTS ON THAT OTHER ORDINANCE,
[00:55:06]
THE DESCRIPTIVE LINE FOR WHAT THIS AGENDA ITEM IS THAT WE'RE DISCUSSING WOULD BE READ IN BY THE THE MAYOR OR WHOEVER'S RUNNING THE MEETING, BUT THERE'S NOT A SUMMARY OF THE ACTUAL ORDINANCE. ALL YOU'RE DOING IS READING THE ORDINANCE NUMBER AND THE TITLE OF IT. NO, GENE. SO WHAT I'M SAYING NO TO WHAT YOU JUST SAID. YEAH, YEAH, WHAT I'M TRYING TO I DON'T HAVE AN EXAMPLE OF A CITY COUNCIL AGENDA IN FRONT OF ME, BUT IN IN THE AGENDA ITSELF, IN THE PACKET, THERE WILL BE A SUMMARY PARAGRAPH OF WHAT THAT AGENDA ITEM IS ABOUT. AND SO THERE WILL BE IF WE'RE ABOUT TO PASS AN ORDINANCE, THERE WILL BE SOME DESCRIPTION IN THAT PARAGRAPH THAT IS AN ATTEMPT TO DESCRIBE WHAT THE ORDINANCE IS ABOUT. OKAY. BUT THEN IN THE MOTION TO PASS THE ORDINANCE, THAT MOTION DOESN'T HAVE TO GO BACK AND REREAD EVEN THAT DESCRIPTIVE PARAGRAPH, MUCH LESS THE WHOLE. BUT THERE'S SOMETHING THERE THAT BECAUSE I JUST BE HONEST, I HAVEN'T LOOKED AT ONE. I CAN'T REMEMBER LOOKING AT ONE. AND, YOU KNOW, IN A WHILE. BUT THERE'S SOMETHING IN THERE THAT SAYS THIS ORDINANCE WILL ACCOMPLISH THAT OR IS DESIGNED TO YADA, YADA, YADA. YEAH, OKAY. AND IT'S USUALLY, AT LEAST IN THE PREVIOUS ORDINANCES, I HAVEN'T SEEN THE ONES THAT ARE BEING WRITTEN NOW, BUT THE, THE PREVIOUS ORDINANCES, THE FIRST PARAGRAPH OF THE ORDINANCE ITSELF USUALLY ATTEMPTED TO SUMMARIZE WHAT THE ORDINANCE WAS GOING TO EFFECTIVELY DO, AND THEN IT WOULD GO ON TO KIND OF DO IT IN DETAIL. BUT IF THAT'S NOT IF THAT INITIAL PART AND I AGREE WITH YOU, THERE IS.BUT THAT'S THE PART I'M TALKING ABOUT, THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE SOMETHING OTHER THAN A SUMMARY OF THE ORDINANCE CONSISTING OF THE NUMBER AND THE TITLE OF THE ORDINANCE, YAY OR NAY. IT'S LIKE, WELL, THAT'S NOT ENOUGH. SO IF IF IT'S IN THE PACKET AND THE ORDINANCES ARE IN THE PACKET. THAT'S RIGHT. YEAH. YEAH. I'VE SEEN. THIS IS NOT. YEAH. OKAY. I'LL JUST GENE, THIS MAY BE HELPFUL. I JUST OPENED UP THE AGENDA FOR TOMORROW NIGHT COUNCIL AND I RANDOMLY LOOKED FOR SOMETHING THAT WAS AN ORDINANCE. AND SO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER SIX ON TOMORROW'S COUNCIL AGENDA IS AND THERE'S A SUBJECT PARAGRAPH WHICH SAYS IN THIS CASE, CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE ORDINANCE NUMBER 2510 1602, AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING A REZONING FROM TEMPORARY RESTRICTED TO GENERAL COMMERCIAL RETAIL WITH CONDITIONS ON APPROXIMATELY 3.776 ACRES IDENTIFIED AS TRAVIS COUNTY APPRAISAL DISTRICT PROPERTY ID NUMBER. YEAH, I DO REMEMBER READING THROUGH ALL THOSE. SO THAT TYPE OF DESCRIPTION, ANYTIME THERE'S AN ORDINANCE ON AN AGENDA, WOULD BE READ IN. AND THEN A LOT MORE DETAILS OF COURSE ARE IN THE PACKET, THE WHOLE WHOLE LANGUAGE OF THE ORDINANCE ITSELF. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY HAD IN HERE THAT I REALLY LIKED IS THEY SPECIFICALLY SAID, AND THIS IS IN STARTS IN 857, IS THAT THE ORDINANCES, RESOLUTIONS AND CHARTER AMENDMENTS SHALL BE SOLD TO THE PUBLIC AT REASONABLE PRICES AS FIXED BY THE COUNCIL. I THINK THAT WOULD BE REALLY GOOD TO PUT IN OUR WEBSITE THAT ON THE PAGE WHERE WE LIST THE ORDINANCES, AND ON THE PAGE WHERE WE LIST THE RESOLUTIONS, THAT SAYS SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT THAT YOU CAN PURCHASE A RESOLUTION OR YOU CAN PURCHASE THIS ORDINANCE AT CITY HALL FOR $5 OR WHATEVER. I THINK IT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL TO A LOT OF PEOPLE, BECAUSE NOT EVERYBODY HAS ACCESS AT HOME TO PRINT OUT, YOU KNOW, A TEN PAGE ORDINANCE. AND I THINK THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING I WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST, AND MAYBE NOT IN THE CHARTER, BUT JUST TO SUGGEST TO THE CITY COUNCIL, CONSIDER TAKING THAT UP AS AN ACTION ITEM TO PUT TO ADD TO THE WEBSITE PAGES. COULD COULD WE ASK YOU TO DO THAT, TO TAKE THAT TO COUNCIL, THAT SUGGESTION, MR. PRINCETON? SO I AM HERE'S MY ANSWER. MY ANSWER IS GOING TO BE YOUR CHARTER IN THIS COMMITTEE IS TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE CHARTER, NOT TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CITY POLICY THAT YOU DON'T THINK BELONG TO CHARTER AS CITIZENS. YOU COULD CERTAINLY
[01:00:05]
DO THAT. YOU CAN SEND AN EMAIL TO ME OR THE CITY MANAGER OR ANYBODY. THAT'S A GOOD ANSWER.YOU CAN STAND UP DURING THE CITY COUNCIL AND MAKE THAT RECOMMENDATION. BUT AS LIAISON TO THIS COMMITTEE, I THINK THAT'S OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF THIS COMMITTEE. GOOD POINT. I AGREE WITH YOU. YEAH. SO SOMEBODY MAYBE MAYBE SOMEBODY. YEAH. THAT'S GREAT. OKAY. SO SHALL WE START ARTICLE THREE THE CITY MANAGER. NOW ONCE AGAIN I WOULD NOT USE IT LINE FOR LINE, WORD FOR WORD I WOULDN'T EITHER. I WAS GOING TO SAY YOU WANNA LOOK AT THE WHOLE ARTICLE THREE I DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING PARTICULARLY INSIGHTFUL OR ADDITIVE OR BETTER THAN WHAT WE'VE ALREADY DEBATED AND DISCUSSED, AND IN SOME CASES BEAT THE DEAD HORSE.
SO I DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING WORTHY OF LIFTING. MAYBE I I'LL JUST LEAVE IT AT THAT IF SOMEBODY ELSE DOES. IF YOU LOOK LOOK, EITHER THIS IS THIS IS ONE THAT I CAN GENE LINE 979 TALKING ABOUT THE CITY MANAGER CAN APPOINT AND SUSPEND OR REMOVE ALL CITY EMPLOYEES AND APPOINT ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS PROVIDED FOR BY OR UNDER THIS CHARTER, EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE PROVIDED BY LAW. SO I THINK WE HAD THE DISCUSSION LAST TIME ON ON OUR CHARTER. IF THE CITY MANAGER COULD ACTUALLY SAY YOU'RE GONE, OR NOW HE'S GOT TO GO TO THE CITY COUNCIL AND SAY, I WOULD LIKE TO GET RID OF SO AND SO. YEAH, I THINK THAT WAS PERTAINING TO DEPARTMENT HEADS.
THOSE THAT COUNCIL REQUIRED. THERE SEEMED TO BE A DISCONNECT BECAUSE THERE WAS SOME THAT REQUIRES COUNCIL APPROVAL TO APPOINT. THEN THE QUESTION IS OKAY THEN CAN THE CITY MANAGER REMOVE THEM ALONE? WE NEED TO CLARIFY THAT FOR PURPOSES OF THIS REVIEW, I DIDN'T FIND I DIDN'T WANT TO GO INDEFINITELY WITH 979 OR 3.0401. I DIDN'T FIND THAT HELPFUL AT ALL TO PUT IN OUR CHARTER. SO AND I WILL. ALL I WOULD SAY IS THAT CONFIRMS WHAT IT SAID EARLIER ABOUT THE CITY MANAGER IN HERE, THAT THEIR JOB IS TO DO ALL THE ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES. THEY'RE IN CHARGE OF ALL OF THOSE, WHICH WOULD INCLUDE HIRING OR FIRING. SO IT'S OKAY. I LIKE ARE WE ON ARE WE ON FOUR? YES. OKAY. I KIND OF LIKE THAT. THEY SPELLED OUT THE PERSONNEL SYSTEM IN LINE 83. MERIT PRINCIPLE AND MERIT SYSTEM. THEY MAKE IT CLEAR ON HOW THEY'RE GOING TO DO THINGS. AND IF THEY THIS IS HOW WE'RE GOING TO DO IT. BASIS OF MERIT AND FITNESS DEMONSTRATED BY A VALID THEY LAY IT OUT AS OPPOSED TO IT ELIMINATES. SOMEBODY GETTING A JOB BASED ON SOMETHING OTHER THAN I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO DO A REALLY GOOD JOB. I AGREE WITH YOU THERE. I DEBATED WITH MYSELF WHETHER IT'S CHARTER WORTHY OR IS THAT EMPLOYEE POLICY MANUAL? YEAH. AND I THINK THAT WE SHOULD I LIKE IT IN THE CHARTER BECAUSE THAT BECOMES PART OF THE GOVERNING LAW THAT THE CITY IS GOING TO OPERATE BY. AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE HARD TO CHANGE, AS OPPOSED TO WE'RE JUST GOING TO WRITE A NEW ORDINANCE AND DO IT DIFFERENTLY. OKAY. I AGREE WITH YOU, GENE. I LIKE THE FACT THAT IT'S THAT IT'S SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH AND IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO PUT IT IN THE CHARTER AND MAKE IT PERMANENT. I MEAN, WE'RE WATCHING THAT IN REAL TIME RIGHT NOW. A SWING BACK TO WHAT I BELIEVE IS REALLY THE MIDDLE, IF YOU WILL. IF YOU CAN'T DO THE JOB, THEN YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE THE JOB. IF YOU'RE A NON-ESSENTIAL EMPLOYEE, THEN WHY ARE YOU AN EMPLOYEE? THAT ALWAYS CRACKS ME UP EVERY TIME I HEAR HIM TALK ABOUT THAT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN. SO ANYWAYS.
[01:05:09]
THEY TALKED ABOUT. I THOUGHT IT WAS INTERESTING THAT THEY LAY OUT SEVERAL DIFFERENT OPTIONS AS FAR AS THE FULL TIME AS FAR AS THE CITY ATTORNEY, AND I KNOW OURS IS A PART TIME.BASICALLY, IT'S A LAW FIRM. SO I WAS LIKE, WELL, THAT I LIKE THAT. YEAH, WE ARE A LARGER CITY. YEAH. AND THEY COULD JUSTIFY HAVING A FULL TIME. YEAH. FULL TIME. YEAH. I AGAIN SKIPPED OVER THAT BECAUSE I THOUGHT THE STRUCTURE NOW IS I JUST READ THROUGH THE OPTIONS AS I CAN. WELL I, I LIKE OURS. SHOULD WE START ON ARTICLE FIVE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT. YEAH I DIDN'T REALLY SEE MUCH THERE. KEEP IN MIND THAT LINE 412, SECTION 5.08. WE'VE ALREADY LIFTED THAT SENTENCE AND PUT IT IN OUR CHARTER AS A FIRST PASS TO MAKE SURE. IT'S A LINE 412.
THERE WAS SOME QUESTION ABOUT OUR BUDGET AND OVERSIGHT, AND WE LIFTED THAT LINE AND INSERTED IT IN OUR CHARTER ALREADY. THAT MAKES CLEAR THAT THE COUNCIL HAS THE FIDUCIARY DUTY AND OVERSIGHT OF THE BUDGET. YEAH. YES. IF I MAY, I JUST WANT TO BACK UP TO LINE 383. AND I HAVE A QUESTION FOR PAUL, TRANSFER APPROPRIATIONS. IF AT ANY TIME AND AT ANY TIME DURING OR BEFORE THE FISCAL YEAR, THE CITY COUNCIL MAY, BY RESOLUTION, TRANSFER PART OR ALL OF THE UNENCUMBERED APPROPRIATION BALANCE FROM ONE DEPARTMENT FUNDS SERVICE TO APPROPRIATE APPROPRIATION FOR OTHER DEPARTMENTS. ORGANIZATION NEEDS, OR A NEW APPROPRIATION.
MANAGER MAY TRANSFER FUNDS AMONG PROGRAMS WITHIN A DEPARTMENT. FUNDS, SERVICE STRATEGY, ORGANIZATION UNIT, ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT AND SHALL REPORT SUCH TRANSFERS TO THE COUNCIL IN WRITING IN A TIMELY MANNER. IS OUR CURRENT CITY MANAGER ALLOWED TO DO THAT? YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT THIS LANGUAGE LIKE THIS IS IN OUR FINANCIAL POLICY WHICH WHICH WE DO. SO WE DO HAVE A CITY FINANCIAL POLICY. I DON'T THINK IT'S IN OUR CHARTER, BUT THERE IS SOME LIMITS. YOU KNOW, THE CITY MANAGER CAN, WITHIN A CERTAIN SIZE OR SCOPE OF SCOPE OF DEPARTMENT OR WHATEVER, CAN MOVE DOLLARS AROUND BUT CAN'T MOVE THEM, YOU KNOW, WITHOUT A BUDGET. AND ACROSS THE LARGER IS EXACTLY HOW IT'S DEFINED. I CAN'T OKAY. HAS THAT EVER BEEN REALLY AN ISSUE THAT'S COME UP? I MEAN, NOT IN MY TIME. I WOULD SAY IN MY TIME, THE CITY MANAGERS HAVE BEEN RATHER CONSERVATIVE IN THAT IF THEY'RE MAKING ANY, IF THEY'RE DOING ANY SIGNIFICANT MOVEMENT OF DOLLARS, THEY DO IT AS A FORMAL BUDGET AMENDMENT THAT CREATED A COUNCIL FOR APPROVAL. OKAY. ONE THING THAT CAUGHT MY EYE IN LINE 319. THEY DEFINE WHAT PUBLIC MEANS. YES. AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS KIND OF INTERESTING. AND THEY DID THAT IN A COUPLE OTHER PLACES WHERE IT WAS SOMETHING SPECIFIC TO ONE ARTICLE, AND THERE WAS A WORD THAT'S LIKE, AND WE'RE GOING TO DEFINE IT SO THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT IT MEANS WITHIN THIS ARTICLE. I AGREE, BECAUSE THEY ALSO INCLUDE THE PUBLIC TO BE IN THE WEBSITE.
AND AS I'VE SAID BEFORE, I'M REALLY VERY ANXIOUS TO SEE THAT EVERYTHING IS PUBLISHED ON OUR WEBSITE. SO. I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING IN THERE. SHOULD WE START AN ARTICLE SIX? OR DO YOU WANT TO? I'M READY. YEAH, YEAH, THAT FINANCIAL WAS JUST WAY OVERKILL FOR A CHARTER. AND
[01:10:05]
THAT'S THAT'S KIND OF WHAT I THOUGHT TOO. I STILL COME BACK TO LINE 553 IN MY HEAD OVER AND OVER AGAIN, THE RANKED CHOICE VOTING. I DON'T I KNOW, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY SAYS THAT YOU CAN ALLOW ONE INTEREST GROUP TO TAKE OVER SOMETHING LIKE THAT, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S. A VALID CONCERN OR NOT. I DON'T KNOW THAT WE SHOULD CONSIDER IT DECIDED. I THINK YOU SHOULD KEEP BRINGING IT UP. I'LL BRING IT UP. YEAH, BECAUSE I, I HATE TO SEE UNCONTESTED RACES. YEAH.AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE HALF A COUNCIL PLUS THE MAYOR NEXT YEAR, I AGREE. AND I'VE NEVER HAD AN OPPONENT AND I THINK THAT'S A REALLY, REALLY GOOD ARGUMENT FOR THAT. NO, THERE WAS ONE WAS A RANKED CHOICE THAT WE WERE TOLD WAS NOT LEGAL IN TEXAS. YOU HAVE TO HAVE I THINK IT'S IT WAS ILLEGAL UNLESS YOU HAD THREE YEAR TERMS. AND WE HAVE TWO YEAR TERMS RIGHT NOW, I BELIEVE. OR WAS IT THE OTHER WAY AROUND? NO. YOU HAD IF, YOU KNOW, IF YOU DIDN'T, IF YOU WENT TO A CERTAIN NUMBER OF YEARS IN YOUR TERM, THEN YOU COULD NOT DO RANKED CHOICE AS WHAT I REMEMBER BRAD SAYING, JEANNE, I THINK THE WAY THAT THE DISCUSSION WENT FROM MY MEMORY WAS THAT HE MADE SOME DISTINCTION. I MAY HAVE IT WRONG. IT WAS NOT A RANKED CHOICE DISCUSSION WITH BRAD. IT WAS ALTHOUGH I THINK, ROB, I'LL COME BACK TO YOU IN A MINUTE.
THE SPECIFIC THING THAT I BELIEVE YOU'RE REFERRING TO WAS A DISTINCTION BETWEEN PLURALITY AND MAJORITY. SO WHEN YOU GO TO THREE YEAR TERMS BY STATE LAW, YOU HAVE TO BE ELECTED BY A MAJORITY. YOU CAN'T BE ELECTED BY YOU COULD BE RIGHT. I KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING IN THERE.
SO IF IF WE WERE TO MOVE TO THREE YEAR TERMS AND THERE WAS LESS THAN A PLURALITY, THREE, THREE, THREE, THREE OR MORE PEOPLE RUNNING AND NOBODY GOT A MAJORITY, THEN THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE A RUNOFF ELECTIONS THAT WOULD BE REQUIRED. THAT WAS CLEARLY WHAT BRAD TOLD US. NOW, I THINK I'M I'M REMEMBERING, BUT NOT AS CONFIDENTLY THAT HE ALSO MADE SOME COMMENTS ABOUT RANKED CHOICE VOTING. YEAH. AND AND MY RECOLLECTION WAS IT WAS TIED TO THE LENGTH OF TERMS. OKAY, I DON'T HAVE THAT MEMORY. BUT I MEAN, WE CAN CERTAINLY IF YOU ALL ARE INTERESTED IN PURSUING THE DISCUSSION AROUND RANKED CHOICE, THEN WE CERTAINLY CAN GO ASK. IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S GOING TO COME UP. I'M SORRY I SAID IT SOUNDS LIKE IT WILL COME UP. YEAH, WE MIGHT AS WELL GET THAT QUESTION. ANSWER. YEAH. OKAY. WE DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE WITHOUT ASKING YOU TO AT LEAST SOME. I REJECTED THE OTHER ASSIGNMENT. YOU. VETOED. WELL, OKAY. WE'RE SO CLOSE TO 6:00. I THINK WE SHOULD NOT BEGIN THE ELECTIONS AT THIS POINT. I THINK THAT WE SHOULD FOR A MINUTE TALK ABOUT WHAT WE'LL DO NEXT. NEXT MEETING. BECAUSE THIS IS PART TWO TO THIS, ISN'T IT? IS THERE A PART TWO TO THIS? WE'RE ONLY PART ONE. NO. WHEN I POSTED IT TO THE WEBSITE, YOU HAD TO BREAK. I HAD TO BREAK IT INTO ONE MEGABYTE SIZE FILES. THERE'S JUST ONE PART, SO IT'S ALL ONE DOCUMENT. BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE WEBSITE, IT'S BROKEN INTO FOUR PARTS, SO IT WOULD FIT ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD, I THINK. I THINK THAT'S WHERE I GOT MINE BECAUSE WE'RE WE'RE NOT EVEN HALFWAY THROUGH. WELL, WE'RE ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH ABOUT AT THE HALFWAY POINT OF THIS DOCUMENT. SO IT WAS HARD TO PLAN BECAUSE WE DIDN'T KNOW HOW LONG WE WOULD WE WOULD SPEND AN EXECUTIVE SESSION. SO MY SO I HAD TWO SCENARIOS IN MIND FOR OUR NEXT MEETING. AND SO WE'LL GO WITH ONE, ONE OF THOSE TWO, WHICH IS. SO FOR THE NEXT MEETING WE WILL FINISH THIS. THIS CHARTER. AND WE WILL THEN BEGIN TO LOOK AT OUR CITY CHARTER. OUR CHARTER, THE EXISTING CHARTER, THE FIRST TWO ARTICLES, THE FIRST TWO ARTICLES ARE PRETTY. NONCONTROVERSIAL. OKAY. SORRY. SAY THAT AGAIN. OKAY. SO TENSION WAS SPLIT. OKAY. SO AT OUR NEXT MEETING WE WILL FINISH THIS. AND WE WILL ALSO TAKE OUR CITY, OUR EXISTING CITY CHARTER. AND WE WILL GO TO JUST ARTICLES ONE AND TWO. IF YOU ALL REMEMBER OUR ARTICLE THREE WAS MUCH MORE TIME CONSUMING AND I THINK WE SPENT MORE THAN ONE MEETING, EVEN ON ARTICLE THREE. MORE THAN ONE MONTH. YEAH, YEAH. OKAY, SO BUT I THINK WE CAN
[01:15:05]
FINISH THIS AND DO ARTICLES ONE AND TWO AT THE NEXT MEETING. AND THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE WILL ATTEMPT TO DO. AND ROBERT, DO YOU WANT TO ADDRESS WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT AS FAR AS HOW WE WERE GOING TO PROVIDE THE CITY CHARTER TO THE GROUP FOR THIS, FOR THIS PROCESS OF REVISION? WE HAD A DISCUSSION ABOUT WHAT SHOULD WE USE AS THE BASIS FOR THE CHARTER? SHOULD WE USE THE CHARTER WITH THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN IT? SHOULD WE USE THAT THE FIRST GROUP MADE? SHOULD WE USE THE CHARTER WITH ALL THE NOTES THAT THE COUNCILS PROVIDED? AND SO WE DID COME TO ROBERT AND I CAME TO A DECISION. AND SO DO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT WHAT WE'RE GOING TO. WELL, I THINK FOR THE BENEFIT OF MARK AND JEN, WHO WEREN'T ON THE COMMITTEE BEFORE, WE WANTED TO START WITH THE RED LINE THAT WE PRESENTED TO COUNCIL ALREADY. IT HAS ALL THE MARKUPS FROM OUR CURRENT CHARTER. IT HAS ALL THE COMMENTARY THAT WE INTEGRATED FROM THE CITY COUNCILORS THAT PROVIDED INPUT ARTICLE BY ARTICLE. AND I WAS THINKING I WOULD USE THAT AS A STARTING POINT. AND THEN I SENT OUT MY NOTES. LAST NIGHT. I FINALLY GOT AROUND TO LOOKING AT THOSE AGAIN, AND SELENA AND ROCKPORT. WHAT I CAN DO IS TAKE THE COMMENTARY THAT I'VE CAPTURED AND INTEGRATE THAT INTO THE CURRENT CHARTER. THE PROBLEM WITH IT IS IT'S SO MARKED UP, RED LINE WISE THAT IT'S KIND OF HARD TO FOLLOW, BUT THE HISTORY IS THERE, I LIKED IT, THE FEEDBACK IS THERE THAT WE'VE BEEN COLLECTING AND THOUGHTS ALONG THE WAY. SO IT IS PRETTY MUCH A SPAGHETTI CODE. BUT TO GET AROUND THAT, I CAN ALSO, FOR EACH MEETING, PROVIDE THE MARKUP AND THEN ALSO PROVIDE A CLEAN COPY WITH NO MARKUP, BECAUSE I KNOW THERE'S BEEN TIMES WHERE LIKE, WELL, IT GETS REALLY BUSY. IT'S ALL MARKED UP, MARKED UP. SO WHAT DOES THIS PARAGRAPH ACTUALLY SAY? SO YEAH, WE CAN PROVIDE BOTH VERSIONS IS WHAT I'M GETTING AT GOING FORWARD FOR OUR MEETINGS, BECAUSE WE WANTED TO BE SURE THAT YOU AND JEN IN PARTICULAR HAD WHAT THE CITY CHARTER ACTUALLY IS EXIST CURRENTLY.BUT WE WANTED YOU TO KNOW WHAT THE RECOMMENDATIONS WERE. AND OF COURSE, THE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE NOT WRITTEN IN STONE BECAUSE NOW WE'RE GOING THROUGH IT ALL AGAIN. SO WHAT WE WANTED YOU TO SEE AND AND SO YES, IT IS GOING TO BE A SPAGHETTI BOWL. BUT. THAT'S JUST THE WAY IT IS.
YEAH OKAY. I LIKE I LIKE THE MARKED UP VERSION BECAUSE I PARTICULARLY LIKE COUNCIL'S INPUT. YEAH BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO GET HAVE TO GET APPROVED BY COUNCIL. RIGHT. RIGHT. SO AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE ASKING FOR IT EVEN EVEN AGAIN TO CURRENT. SO WE SIGNED UP FOR A SPAGHETTI BOWL AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GETTING. SO ANY OTHER COMMENTS. NO OKAY. GOOD THEN. 660 4 P.M.
I'M
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.