HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-0401 Study Session PACKET
CITY OF
ASHLAND
CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION
AGENDA
Monday, April 1, 2013
Siskiyou Room, 51 Winburn Way
5:30 p.m. Study Session
1. Look Ahead review
2. Discussion of a revised proposal for a help center in Ashland
3. Discussion to extend the ad hoc Homelessness Steering Committee
4. Overview of self-funded health benefits
5. Follow up discussion on councilor announcements and follow-up questions at
regular Council meetings
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this
meeting, please contact the City Administrator's office at (541) 488-6002 (TTY phone number 1-800-735-
2900). Notification 72 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to
ensure accessibility to the meeting (28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title 1).
COUNCIL MEETINGS ARE BROADCAST LIVE ON CHANNEL 9
VISIT THE CITY OF ASHLAND'S WEB SITE AT WWW.ASHLAND.OR.US
• City of Ashland Cou eating Look Ahead
*****THIS IS A DRAFT ANDSDBJECT TO CHANGE*****
Departments
Responsible 4f16 4116 4117 4119 516 5)7 5120 5121 613 614 6117 6118 711 7/2 7115 7116
EEO ~SYUd Session in Siski .ou Ro-om ® a s
1 Preview of changes to AMC Chapters 4 and 6 regarding VRBOs ss
Bill/ Dave CD Admin
2 Public Works report on readiness for drought years (request of SS
Councilor Voisin Mike PW
3 Review and update of current Economic Development Strategy SS
Adam/ Dave Admin
ans Ragland Award Reception 6:30 .m. ane
al>V 7 ,t ~ r~-a Re ular Council MWM arts
a Presentation of Ragland Award Winner Diana Admin PREs
5 Presentation by Michael Cavallaro of RVCOG's annual report Admin PRES
Dave
s Firewise Week Proclamation John Fire PROC
7 Annual a ointments for commissions/committees Barbara Recorder CONS
8 Possible resolution continuing the ad hoc steering committee on CD CONS
homelessness Bill
s Annual re Dort on crime Ter Police NEW
a/17,' Bud` a st Comrriiitee,..Econ &Cultur'ah rants review an7
v4
4/rieg Bud et Committee .,Econ°'~&iCultuiaN"iants review ~ ~ ,ana.
55 Stud SesstonCancelledi?i? ®~®I♦® s/s
5n Re ular Council Meetin IIIIIIIIINIMEM 11=11 ME K= ME MM 1-1
10 Modification of water rates for 1" service Mike PW NEW
it U date of financial policies Lee Finance NEW
s/zo Stud S-e55iAn Cancelled)?~? ® ® ® s zo
s/zt Re ular Council Meetin ® IIII MM EM 5/21
12 Place holder for possible Verde Village development agreement Com Dev NEW
extension Bill
sr3
sr3 Stud Session in Siski ou Room ® ®
IMI
sia, Re ular Council Meetin
gIMENWENOMM s/a
9=M=UM ffi= NE
13 Public hearing on ordinance to levy taxes for FY14&15 (Lee) Finance PH
ORD-1 ORD-2
14 Resolution to qualify for state revenues Lee Finance RES
15 Resolution to receive state revenues Lee Finance RES
16 Resolution setting appropriations Lee Finance RES
17 Resolution adopting rate increases for all enterprise funds, as Finance PW RES
approved in the budget rocess Lee/ Mike/ Mark Electric
sn Stud Session in Siski .ou Room ® ® ® I♦ s/ 7
s/1e Re`ular uncil Meetin ® ® sne
1e Public hearing on ordinance to lev taxes for FY14&15 Lee Finance ORD-2
m Stud Session in Siski .ou Room MI I• I• 7
M,7/21 Re ular CAUnciI Meetin N2
Page 1 of 2 3/2812013
City of Ashland Co Meeting Look Ahead •
*****THIS IS A DRAFT A~UBJECT TO CHANGE**'**
Responsible 405 4116 4117 4118 516 5/7 5120 5121 613 614 6117 6118 711 712 7115 7116
S u Session in $ISki ,ou Room ® ~ ® ~n s
ins Re ularCOuncilMeetin zne
19 System development charges update for water, sewer, and PW PH
trans ortation Mike
,..tea. ...o__
Telecom Franchise Agreements 8 flight of Way Usage
Discussion of regulating me graving of medical manluana in residential areas
Ordinance changes regarding VR80 zoning
Day use facility for homeless
Diswssion of direction to staff for study of water rate sf ure that "ads caner noon and help
for lav-income individuals mN water bills
Report on preparations made for drought years
update on City building sustainability report
Page 2 of 2 3128/2013
CITY OF
ASHLAND
Council Communication
April 1, 2013, Study Session
Council discussion of a revised proposal for a help center in Ashland
FROM:
Dave Kanner, City Administrator, kannerd(a ashland.or.us
SUMMARY
The ad hoc Steering Committee on Homelessness has reviewed a proposed grant solicitation that was
prepared by Councilor Marsh, with input from Mayor Stromberg and City Administrator Dave Kanner,
that outlines how the City might structure a help/resource center for those in need in Ashland. The
Council requested the Steering Committee's review at its study session of March 4`h. If approved by
the Council, this could form the basis of a grant solicitation to social service agencies interested in
providing this service. The solicitation would offer $50,000 a year for two years to a qualified grant
recipient. The successful grantee would be required to provide information and referral to existing
assistance available in the community and on-site case management; mental health and substance
abuse counseling/assessments; housing assistance; credit counseling; and job skills
assessments/employment preparation.
Council is asked to provide direction to staff on whether to prepare and distribute a grant solicitation.
BACKGROUND AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS:
The idea of providing a resource center for the homeless and those at risk of homelessness has been
long-discussed in Ashland. At Council's direction, staff last year prepared a public solicitation for a
qualified social service provider to come to Ashland and establish a resource center for the homeless
and others in need. The solicitation offered a grant of up to $50,000 per year for two years to cover
lease and other facility costs for such a center. The City received no responses to this solicitation.
At its study session on January 14, 2013, the Council agreed that staff would work with the Mayor and
Councilor Marsh to prepare a revised proposal for a help/resource center for the homeless, those at risk
of becoming homeless and others in need in Ashland. Under this newest iteration, the grant recipient
would be required to provide information and referral to existing assistance in the community and
assure the provision of case management, mental health/substance abuse counseling, housing
assistance, credit counseling and job skills assessments through qualified individuals and community
agencies that are already providing these services.
After discussing this proposal at its March 4 study session, the Council requested that it be reviewed by
the ad hoc Steering Committee on Homelessness. That committee has done so and their
recommendations are shown in the attached concept document, highlighted in yellow. The required
narrative responses on page 2 of this latest iteration are drawn from the required narrative responses
requested in the original solicitation sent out in 2012.
Page I of 2
LITAWA
CITY OF
ASHLAND
Unlike the 2012 grant solicitation, which offered $50,000 a year for two years for facility costs only,
this proposal would allow the $50,000 to be used for operations. A grant applicant could propose a
non-site based model.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Approx. $50,000/yr. for two years. Funds have not been appropriated for this purpose in the current
fiscal year and would have to be identified in the upcoming budget process.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION AND REQUESTED ACTION:
If the Council wishes to pursue this course of action, it can provide staff direction to prepare a new
grant solicitation document.
SUGGESTED MOTIONS:
N/A
ATTACHMENTS:
Conceptual RFP: Help Center
Page 2 of 2
~r,
Conceptual RFP: HELP Center
The City of Ashland will seek proposals from qualified non-profit social service agencies to establishand
coordinate a HELP center providing services to residents at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness. The
City will make grant funding available in an amount up to $50,000 per year for two years to a qualified
grant recipient.
The Concept:
The contracting agency will be responsible for coordinating community volunteers, faith-based
institutions and other social service agencies, to provide services to Ashland residents to minimize the
risk, or impact of, homelessness. HELP Center staff will identify, schedule and manage activities and
will recruit and engage individuals and organizations from the community in a collaborative model of
service delivery.
Desired services:
• Information and referral toexisting assistance available in the community, i.e. Uncle Foods, local
churches, the Ashland Emergency Food Bank, shelter programs, etc.
• On site case management, mental health and substance abuse counseling/assessments;housing
assistance; credit counseling; and job skills assessments/employment preparation. These services
should be provided by qualified individuals and community agencies, including but limited tothe
Maslow Project, Housing Authority, Community Health Center, Department of Human Services,
OnTrack, Community Works, St. Vincent de Paul, the Listening Post, Job Council, the Consumer
Credit Agency, Legal Services, and Salvation Army.
• Basic assistance for those with no permanent address: mail drop; internet access; phone charging;
secure storage; laundry_)
• Emergency services: distribution of bus tokens, non-prepared food items, blankets, etc.
• Showers
AI us recognized that development of the full realm of services will require time arid' patience The
contractorshould a core ro ramthatwill ow with additional services du}ingthe two` ear
Pd .l. - propose P g- ~ - y
proJect~
Target audience: The grant recipient shall serve all individuals or families who are currently homeless,
at risk of becoming homeless or who are otherwise in need. The grant recipient may establish standards
of behavior for users and exclude from the center those who fail to adhere to such standards.
Hours: The center shall be open 20 hours per week during time periods that are accessible to clients.
The center will provide specific and targeted programming that allows clients to efficiently access
services.
Outreach >.The HHELP center -will devel v and imp el ment an expansive outreachiprogram
des gned to identify and,engage clients` and. will accept and encourage- referrals from "co munit'
residents, social service partners and public safety officers.-
Facility: The grant recipient shall be responsible for securing a facility and insuranceand on-site staff and
volunteers, all of whom shall be screened and trained by the grant recipient.
Non-facility option: As described, the HELP Center is envisioned as a facility-based program.
However, recognizing the challenges of obtaining an appropriate location, the RFP invites applicants to
submit innovative proposals that provide services in a non-site based model.
Funding: Up to $50,000 will be allocated for each of two years of operation. Future funding requests
will be incorporated into the city's Human Services_ grant process. The contractor should demonstrate
ability to leverage city funding to obtain additional support from other sources:
Required narrative responses:
1. Describe your organization's history and its purpose, as well as any specific experience
with providing social services in the City of Ashland.
2. Describe your organization's experience in providing services substantially similar to
those described in the concept portion of this solicitation. Include your organization's
history of working with other agencies that provide complementary services to the
homeless and how such agencies might be engaged in providing HELP services in
Ashland.
3. Describe what you believe to be Ashland's need based on your knowledge and
understanding of the community and how your organization would address those needs as
well as the needs and desired services as spelled out in the concept portion of this
solicitation. Include your plan for staffing.
4. Describe your organization's process for screening and training staff and volunteers.
5. Describe how your organization would fund operating costs of services over those
supported by City grant funding. How would your organization sustain funding beyond
the two-year City grant funding period?
6. Please describe outcome and benchmark measures your organization would use to
determine whether the project is successful (i.e., meeting City objectives as described in
the concept portion of this solicitation).
The successful grant recipient will be required to comply with Ashland's Living Wage
ordinance. Information about Living Wage is attached. For additional information, please visit
www.ashland.or.us/Code.asp and click on the link to Chapter 3, Conditions of Employment.
Grant applications will be evaluated on the basis of congruence with the above-described
concept and objectives and on the prospects for continuing the resource center without City
support after the first two years of operation.
CITY OF
ASHLAND
Council Communication
April 1, 2013, Study Session
Discussion to Extend the ad hoc Homelessness Steering Committee
FROM:
Dave Kanner, City Administrator, kannerd@ashland.or.us
SUMMARY
The City Council created an ad hoc Steering Committee on Homelessness at its April 5, 2011, meeting.
The resolution creating the committee stipulated that the committee would automatically sunset after
one year, unless extended by the Council. At its meeting of April 3, 2012, the Council extended the
committee's tenure for one more year. With that one-year extension now at an end, the Council must
decide whether to grant another extension.
BACKGROUND AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS:
On April 5, 2011, The City Council adopted Resolution 2011-10 Defining the Duties and
Responsibilities of the ad hoc Homelessness Steering Committee. The Resolution states the committee
will automatically dissolve after one year from the date of its approval by Council. The Council
extended the committee's tenure for an additional year at its meeting of April 3, 2012, and a revised
charge to the committee was prepared by the city administrator.
The committee will automatically sunset if its tenure is not extended by the City Council. This study
session discussion provides an opportunity for Council to direct staff to prepare a resolution to extend
the committee. Again, if the Council takes no action, the committee will dissolve.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
N/A
STAFF RECOMMENDATION AND REQUESTED ACTION:
N/A
SUGGESTED MOTION(S):
N/A
ATTACHMENTS:
Resolution 2011-10
HSC charge (scope of work) from the city administrator
Page I of 1
RESOLUTION NO ]n`--
A RESOLUTION DEFINING THE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE
AD HOC HOMELESSNESS STEERING COMMITTEE
RECITALS:
A. The City of Ashland City Council adopted a goal to create the Homelessness Steering
Committee to filter and qualify stakeholder proposals to the City Council.
B. The City Council seeks to work with community stakeholders on issues related to
homelessness-
C., The City Council believes that solutions or actions submitted by stakeholders will benefit
the community.
D. Two City Council liaisons will work with the committee as non-voting members.
THE CITY OF ASHLAND RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Committee Established. The Homelessness Steering Committee (HSC) is
established beginning May 4, 2011 and shall consist of up to nine voting members. The HSC
will automatically dissolve after one year from the date of its approval by the City Council.
During this time the Committee may notify the Council that it no longer is receiving any more
stakeholder proposals and therefore should be disbanded, or it may propose that it be reorganized
in a specific way that better suits its intended purpose. At the end of the year the HSC will make
a recommendation to the Council regarding whether or not it should be continued.
SECTION 2. Terms. Oualifications. Vacancies.
1) All members will be appointed by the Mayor with confirmation by the City Council,
except for City staff designated as ex-officio, non voting members. Members shall be
named by the City Council and serve until the dissolution of the Homelessness Steering
Committee.
2) The City Administrator and/or their designee shall serve as an ex-officio, non-voting
member of the Homelessness Steering Committee.
3) Any member of the Homelessness Steering Committee who will be absent from a meeting the
member must notify the chair or the staff liaison at least two hours prior to the meeting. Any
member who has two or more unexcused absences in a six month period shall be considered
inactive and the position vacant. Further any member not attending a minimum of two-thirds
(2/3) of all scheduled meetings shah be considered inactive and the position vacant.
4) Homelessness Steering Committee will elect a person to serve as Chair and Vice Chair from
among the voting members at the first meeting.
SECTION 3. Ouorum and Rules. At least six voting members shall constitute a quorum. The
Homelessness Steering Committee shall establish rules for its meetings as it deems appropriate
and shall meet as many times as necessary.
SECTION 4. Responsibilities. The committee shall be responsible for:
1) Soliciting proposals from stakeholders to the City Council, whose intent is to address issues of
homelessness in Ashland
2) Transmitting to the City Council proposals that are well-developed, factually supported,
capable of implementation and fall within the Council's scope of authority to implement
3) Return to the authors those proposals that are incomplete but that have the potential to fall
under #2 above, with specific recommendations for the necessary improvements and encourage
resubmittal of the reworked proposals
4) Connecting stakeholders whose proposals either complement and/or duplicate each other's for
possible collaboration
5) For proposals that don't fall in the above groups, suggest alternative sponsorship if possible.
SECTION S. Reports. Recommendations of the Homelessness Steering Committee to the City
Council considered advisory in nature and shall not be binding on the Mayor or City Council.
The Committee will report to the Council quarterly.
This resolution was duly PASSED and ADOPTED this 5 day of~ 2011, and
takes ect upon signing by the Mayor.
a~/*--
Barbara hriste sen, City Recorders
SI D APPROVED thi G day o4-_1 2011.
John Stromberg, Mayor
Reviewed as to form:
C
Dou s Mcdea , egal Co tractor
HSC Scope of Work 10/2/12
The ad hoc Homelessness Steering Committee is charged with assisting the City Council by developing
and/or evaluating strategies, tactics and specific projects to assist those who are homeless (or at risk of
becoming homeless) by virtue of economic displacement, mental illness or other factors beyond their
control, to obtain or stay in permanent housing. Proposals may be brought to the Steering Committee
by:
• A City Council request to the Steering Committee to examine a proposal.
• An organization or individual bringing forward to the Steering Committee an unsolicited
proposal.
• The Steering Committee developing a proposal on its own initiative.
This charge is subject to the following conditions:
I.AII proposals shall be thoroughly vetted for fiscal viability and the potential to effectively address
the charge above, including clear outcomes and benchmarks, as well as the benefits and
potential drawbacks to the community.
2.The evaluation of all proposals shall include a projection of start-up costs, likely funding issues
and the expected City contribution in terms of staff resources or money, as well as a
determination as to whether City involvement is appropriate (and to what degree).
3.All proposals shall include a description of how and by whom a service is to be delivered.
Proposals may suggest but should not assume a commitment of City staff time.
4.No strategy, tactic or project involving City resources shall be implemented without the express
approval of the City Council.
5.It shall be the responsibility of the Steering Committee's City Council liaison to request that a
proposal meeting these conditions be placed on a Council study session agenda for
consideration by the full Council.
In addition to the above, the Committee shall be mindful of the following:
• Recognize that the needs of transients who are not seeking permanent housing must necessarily
be secondary to the needs of economically displaced persons who are.
• Respect all perspectives on any issue under consideration by the Committee.
• Report to the Council, either in person or in writing, every three months or sooner if needed.
• Present its evaluations in an objective - i.e. pros and cons - format and allow the Council to draw
its own conclusions about the proposal's suitability for Council support.
CITY OF
ASHLAND
Memo
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Dave Kanner, city administrator
DATE: March 27, 2013
RE: Self-funded health benefits
The City is planning to move to a self-funded health benefits plan as of July 1; the culmination of a
long-standing Council goal to explore the feasibility of a self-insurance plan. Self-insurance is not only
feasible, it will save the City hundreds of thousands of dollars next year and in subsequent years. In
fact, many departments will actually have lower health benefits costs in each year of the next biennial
budget than they have in the current fiscal year.
Under self-insurance, the City's health benefits will not change. Only the way we pay for them changes.
The workings of self-insurance have, over the last couple of months, been explained to employees in a
series of staff meetings and through e-mail communications. A frequently asked questions sheet that
was distributed to employees is attached to this memo.
At the April 1 study session, I will provide a quick overview of self-funded health benefits and answer
any questions the Council might have.
DAVE KANNER, CITY ADMINISTRATOR
20 E. Main St.
Ashland, OR 97520 All
541-552-2103
dave.kanner@ashland.or.us
1. In a nutshell, what does it mean to be self-insured?
Being self-insured means that rather than paying an insurance company to pay medical,
dental and vision claims, we pay the claims ourselves, using a third-party administrator to
process the claims on our behalf. Rather than sending our money to an insurance
company, the money stays in our budget and is controlled by the city. The insurance
coverage itself does not change. The method we use to pay for claims changes.
2. What are the primary reasons the city is considering going from a fully-insured
health plan with PacificSource to a self-insured program?
The advantages of being self-insured are cost savings and control of the insurance plan.
It's estimated that 17 to 20 cents of every dollar paid to a health insurance company goes
to administration, overhead and profit. (The Affordable Care Act will limit that to 15
cents on the dollar.) A self-insured plan can offer the exact same insurance for lower
administrative costs and no profit. It is simply less expensive to offer the exact same
insurance through a self-insured plan than through an insurance company. We estimate
the first-year savings under a self-insured plan at $200,000 to $600,000, but how much
we save will depend on actual claims experience.
Self-insurance also gives us far more control in terms of benefit design and cost
containment than private insurance. An employee health benefits advisory committee
would make recommendations about the mix and design of benefits rather than a private
company (in another city) with no stake in the City of Ashland other than to profit from
us. Right now, our insurance company could change the mix of services covered (and
raise our premiums) and we would find ourselves in a take-it-or-leave-it position. We
could seek a different insurance provider, but with few to choose from in the Rogue
Valley, there would be no guarantees that we could get the same (or even a similar) plan
at a reasonable cost. With self-insurance, ive own the plan and tive decide on changes to
the coverages.
3. How would this change impact employees?
It has a positive impact on employees by giving them a direct voice in the design of the
health insurance plan and a direct influence over the fiscal integrity of the plan. Because
the coverage itself would not change, at least until the employee advisory committee
recommends changes, employees will not see a change in coverage.
4. When we changed from Blue Cross Blue Shield to Pacific Source, my
prescription out-of-pocket costs went up or down because the two plans had
different drug tiers. Will I have the same issue if the city self-insures?
No, and this perfectly illustrates why it is better to be self-insured than to purchase
insurance from an insurance company. When we purchase insurance, we are at the mercy
of the insurance company in terms of coverages and plan structure. When we're self-
insured. we will own the plan and no one can change it but us, based on the needs and
desires of the City and its employees.
S. Currently when I am referred to a new doctor, I check the list of PacificSource
Preferred Providers to ensure my doctor is on the list. If the city goes to self-
insurance what "list" will I need to refer to?
We'll stick with the same list of preferred providers we currently use.
6. If for some reason I was denied coverage for a particular procedure, who would
I appeal the denial to?
An appeal would first go to the third party administrator. If an employee was not happy
with the outcome of that appeal, it is typically appealed to the plan administrator, which
in our case would be the city administrator. Some employees have expressed concern
about sharing personal health information with the city administrator, so we can certainly
look into having the option of appealing to a hired hearings officer (although I'm not sure
why that's preferable to appealing to someone with a direct stake in the health and
happiness of the employee).
7. I've heard people say that self-insurance gives the city more flexibility with our
plan, but I'm not sure what that means, can you explain?
As a self-insured entity, we have a virtually unlimited ability to change the mix of
coverages, to add or delete benefits, to change the balance of co-pays and deductibles,
etc., depending on our employees' needs and desires. Of course, none of this is done
without a recommendation from the employee benefits advisory committee. When a
small group such as ours purchases insurance, the insurance company will typically not
tailor a plan to our specific needs and desires. It's on "off-the-shelf' product that we buy
as is, although insurance companies will often lower their premiums in exchange for
higher deductibles.
8. The City has had good claims experience over the past few years. What would
happen if suddenly we had a year of bad experience?
Our charges to the departments (which become our "premiums") and the employee
premium contributions would increase, unless we have enough money in reserve to cover
the increased cost. In that sense, self-insurance is no different than private insurance. If
we have a bad year, the insurance company is going to raise our premiums and it's
unlikely those premiums will ever go down. As a self-insured entity we will have to do
an annual actuarial study to determine the value of full family, employee-plus-one, and
single-person coverage. Those values will provide the basis for determining employee
premium contributions.
However, if we're self-insured, the employee health benefits advisory committee has the
option of recommending a re-calibration of the plan to hold costs down. Too, the money
that would be the insurance company's profit instead stays in a health benefits reserve
fund. (We are required by law to maintain a certain level of reserves.) If the reserves
become large enough during the good years, they can be used to keep charges down after
the bad years. With private insurance, we have no reserve fund. Again, any money not
used to pay claims becomes the insurance company's profit.
In addition, the City will purchase individual and aggregate stop-loss insurance, which
covers claims over and above a certain level.
9. If I'm out of state, or in Mexico, would my benefits be the same as if I were in
Ashland?
Whatever the plan currently provides for out-of-state or international coverage is what
would be provided under a self-insured plan unless coverage is changed pursuant to a
recommendation of the employee health benefits advisory committee.
10. Now when I have a question about my coverage or a claim, I contact
PacificSource customer service. If we were self-insured, who would I call with
questions?
You would contact the third-party administrator, which may well turn out to be
PacificSource customer service. It's interesting to note that in addition to providing
insurance, PacificSource provides third-party administrator services to self-insured
entities and the quote they have given us for that service is very favorable. Going with
PacificSource would also allow for a very easy transition for claims administration.
CITY OF
ASHLAND
Memo
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Dave Lohman, City Attorney
DATE: March 28, 2013
RE: Councilor Announcements and Follow-up Questions at Regular Council Meetings
At its March 18 study session, the Council discussed two provisional modifications of procedures for
regular Council meetings: (1) Allowing the "Other Business from Council Members" portion of the
agenda to be used by Councilors to briefly notify the Council and the public about matters of current
community interest; and (2) Allowing limited follow-up questions by Council members following public
testimony.
Council members expressed various views on these two subjects. To give Council members the
opportunity to provide feedback on staffs attempt to summarize Councilors' intent, this memo outlines
what appeared to be a rough consensus on each subject. This memo also discusses implementation of
these provisional procedural innovations.
Announcements of Community Interest
Chance. Council members appeared to reach rough agreement on a trial period of three months in
which the "Other Business from Council Members" portion of the agenda may be used by Councilors to
briefly notify the Council and the public about matters of current community interest. These
notifications/announcements are to be limited to two minutes each and only about matters that are not
the subject of community controversy. The Mayor/Presiding Officer is to be responsible for enforcing
these guidelines, prompted, if necessary, by a Councilor's point of order.
Implementation. While such announcements by Councilors have not regularly been a part of Council
agendas in recent years, they are not contrary to Council rules. Similar announcements have been
allowed in the "Mayor's Announcements," "Special Presentations and Awards," and "Public Forum"
sections of the agenda. Allowing such announcements is well within the prerogative of the
Mayor/Presiding Officer, and no formal action need be taken to implement this three month trial period.
Follow-up Questioning of Persons Testifying on Agenda Items
Change. Council members appeared to reach rough agreement on a trial period of six months in which
follow-up questioning of persons testifying on agenda items would be allowed in accordance with the
following guidelines:
CRY OF ASHLAND
City Attorney Tel: 541-088-5350 Legal Department
20 East Main Street Fax: 541-552-2092 David H. Lohman, City Attorney
Ashland, OR 97520 TTY: 800-735-2900 david.lohman(a?ashland.or.us
w .ashland.or.us
• Questions are to be only to seek clarification or additional specific information.
• Questioning is to be limited to no more than two minutes and limited to the subject area of the
agenda item on which the person has testified.
• Questioning is not to be used as a means of either emphasizing or challenging points made by the
person who presented testimony.
• No Councilor may ask more than one follow-up question of a person who presented testimony
until every other member of the Council has had the opportunity to ask that person a question.
• Except with Council consent, no Councilor may pursue follow-up questioning of more than two
persons who have presented testimony on a particular agenda item.
• The Mayor/Presiding Officer may postpone follow-up questioning until after all the regular
public testimony on a particular agenda item has concluded.
• The above limitations do not apply to the questioning of City staff or persons with specialized
knowledge on the agenda topic who have been specifically invited to testify by City staff or the
Council.
• Except with Council consent, follow-up questioning of persons testifying during the "Public
Forum" section of the agenda is not allowed.
• Such follow-up questioning is not to be allowed when a motion has been made and is under
consideration, except after a successful motion to suspend the rules.
• The Mayor/Presiding Officer is to be responsible for enforcing these guidelines, prompted, if
necessary, by a Councilor's point of order.
Implementation. Allowing such follow-up questioning is within the prerogative of the Mayor/Presiding
Officer and certainly is permissible with Council consent. No formal action need be taken to implement
this six month trial period. The Rules of City Council in AMC 2.04, however, address procedures at a
level of detail similar to that of the guidelines outlined above. Accordingly, after the trial period, the
Council may want to amend AMC 2.04 to include a provision on follow-up questioning, incorporating
whatever insights may have been learned during the trial period.
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