07-27-2015 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, July 27, 2015 7:00 o'clock p.m. 15. POLICY FOR CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS (continued) Walsh stated in his view there are a lot of slippery slopes and that he is not sure how that is defined. Walsh stated if it is not enforceable, then it is not worth putting on paper and that is where elections matter. McMillan noted the City has some things in their Code regarding communication with City Staff but that she would prefer to have the items highlighted on one page. McMillan stated she is aware that Wayzata has Item G in their policy, which is to work through the City Administrator. McMillan stated in her view it is also important to include language regarding respecting staff and how they work for the Council as a whole and not one Council Member. McMillan stated oftentimes citizens will call individual Council Members and that it is their job to talk with Staff about the issue. McMillan stated it is important that the Council does not carry the interests of one or two people and that the Council should debate things if the City Administrator feels it is an issue the Council as a group should discuss. McMillan noted there have been a couple of issues where some on the Council attempted to bring votes back up on the minority side. McMillan stated regardless of how individual Council Members stand on issues, they need to accept the decision of the majority and support the Council. McMillan stated some of the policy items contained in Wayzata's or Lake Elmo's policy do not need to be formalized but that she is glad everyone had a chance to read it. McMillan stated the idea of having a policy is that everyone agrees to it, which helps hold everyone accountable. McMillan stated it would also give people the chance to say that is against the policy we have all agreed on. Printup stated it is important this discussion is being held rather than simply adopting a policy. Printup stated there needs to be an acknowledgement that there are some personality conflicts and a discussion on how those differences can be addressed. Printup stated tonight's discussion is a starting point. McMillan stated people can disagree on things but that it has to be done in a civil manner or it builds resentment and gets worse over time. Printup stated that is why he thinks this is a good starting point. Printup stated the City Council has had many discussions on how rules or regulations should be enforced, and as it relates to the City Council, ultimately the voters decide every two years. Levang stated in her view a policy on decorum says this is how the Council agrees to conduct him or herself. Ultimately the voters may have something to say about that, but Council Members should also have something to say about how they want to treat each other. Levang stated they are all adults and that they need to take responsibility for their own behavior as well as monitoring each other. Page 26 of 29