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Home My WebLink About12/28/92CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION December 28, 1992 4:45 p.m. Large Conference Room The meeting was called to order by Councilperson Dell. Members present: Dell, Buck, Lemke, Wright, Angel and Fox. Absent: Mayor Manning and Budak. It was moved by Buck, seconded by Wright that the Agenda, as proposed, be approved. Motion carried. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss proposed rules and procedures relating to public participation at City Council meetings. A resolution establishing said procedures was tabled by the City Council on Monday, December 21, 1992. Since that time, several suggestions have been offered to alter the resolution which include the following: 1. Change the format to begin the meeting at 7:00 p.m. (on cable) commencing with oral presentations and 3 minute time limit. At 7:30 p.m., the regular published agenda items would be considered. 2. Registering would be "requested" but not "required" in the office of the Clerk/Auditor until 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Individuals registering would be given priority over unregistered individuals. 3. Registration would be allowed either on the phone or in person. 4. Any rules adopted by the City Council would be published at the top of each Council agenda. 5. Individuals could be limited on the number of topics to be addressed during any one (1) meeting. 6. Efforts should be made on a regular basis to inform the public of proper procedure to address problems/concerns. Each item was discussed and alternatives presented. Angel now present. The consensus of the Council was that the resolution be amended as follows: 1. That oral presentations be placed at the end of the council meeting. 2. Each person would be limited to three (3) minutes but a total time limit would not be placed on the Oral Presentation section of the agenda. 3. Citizens would be "requested" but not "required" to register by phone or in person in the office of the Clerk/Auditor. Registered individuals would be given priority over those who did not register. 4. An individual would be given only one opportunity to speak per meeting on an issue. 5. The entire city council meeting, including oral presentations, would be cable cast. 6. The rules of procedure would be printed at the top of each council agenda. Mayor Pro Tem Angel stated that she had spoken with the Mayor this afternoon and he had expressed a concern with placing a time limit City Council Work Session December 28, 1992 Page 2 on the total oral presentation section and that it could be possible that more than 10 people would want to speak for three (3) minutes. Although council members were agreeable to the proposed changes, it was suggested that the full council delay action on said resolution in deference to the Mayor. Clerk/Auditor Larry Burger stated that the proposed resolution would be amended with the above changes and presented for council action on January 4, 1993. Mel Smelser, 2235 Temple Avenue, stated that the council should also consider adding to its rules that anyone leaving the chambers during the regular session should do so in an orderly manner. Also, the Mayor should rule individuals out of order, if necessary, and that both presenters and city council members and Mayor should respect and honor the dignity of each other. Forest Dillavou, 1725 Huntington Road, agreed with moving the oral presentations to the end of the council agenda and felt that a 30 minute limitation on oral presentations was inappropriate. Shirley Koslowski, 816 Archer Avenue, presented copies of parliamentary procedures. Said copies will be distributed by the Clerk/Auditor. Mark Winninger, spokesperson for the citizen group that approached the Mayor and Council on said proposed resolution, stated that he appreciated the creative conversation that this topic has sparked. He stated that he agreed with many of the modifications that have been made to the proposed resolution. No official action was taken. With no further business before the Committee, the meeting was adjourned at 5:35 p.m. Larry P. Burger City Clerk/Auditor CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION December 28, 1992 5:30 p.m. Large Conference Room Members present: Angel, Fox, Buck, Dell, Lemke and Wright. Members absent: Mayor Manning, Budak. Gale Quirk, Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission, stated that the purpose of the meeting was to allow members of the Commission and Council to discuss the workings of the Human Rights Commission and to begin moving forward to work affectively together. She introduced members of the Commission. The Human Rights ordinance was defined delineating the types of discrimination that the department will investigate, where discrimination most often occurs, the process of complaint handling and the overall affects of discrimination. Councilperson Lemke noted that much of the information about the workings of the Commission is by word of mouth and that the community lacks a basic knowledge of the Commission's purpose and goals. Councilperson Dell stated that in addition to staff members, commissioners do a great deal of out reach in the community. Harris Ceaser, Commissioner, reiterated that it is very difficult to carry out all of the responsibilities of the Commission in an under -staffed capacity. The following statistics were provided: Date Intakes Preliminary Inquiries Complaints 1989 215 2 20 1990 311 0 17 1991 231 4 35 1992 310 19 '57 This information will be provided on a quarterly basis to city council members. The percentage of case closures between 1989 to 1992 has grown by 272%. Councilperson Dell stated that there is a perception in the community that not everyone can be served by the commission. Commissioners were asked to respond. James Boyd, acting director, stated that often times the commission receives adverse publicity when in fact the case of discrimination may not exist or the facts do not bear out the complaint. It was noted that due to the work of the commission, clients have been able to recover monetary rewards ranging from $160 $4,600. Councilperson Lemke stated that the low number of court cases that have been presented to the District Court speaks well of the commission's work. Councilperson Dell stated that the commission should actively pursue advising the community of the process and share information among all. The commission hopes to become more active in developing films and pamphlets for public use. It is also hoped that the Human Rights retreat weekend can be reinstituted to develop these ideas further. It was noted that the commission does not handle housing complaints. Complaints relating to the Americans with Disabilities Act will become more prominent and that it is important to train both the employers and employees as to the responsibilities of each. It was noted that such prevention measures go a long way to decrease the number of intakes. Mayor Pro Tem Angel stated that the Mayor's Citizens Reorganization Report alludes to possible 28E Intergovernmental Agreements. Perhaps surrounding communities may be interested in participating with Waterloo commissions' activities. Chairperson Quirk stated that this has been suggested in the past and may be possible in the future. City Council Work Session December 28, 1992 Page 2 In closing, Commissioner Quirk stated that an issue that remains unresolved is the position of director of Human Rights Commission. Since the retirement of B. J. Furguson in August, 1992, the process has been changed but she noted that we must move forward with this appointment as soon as possible. Councilperson Dell noted that more information is needed about the commission and that there are several other issues that need further review and discussion. He suggested that another work session be established. Commissioner Harris noted that an issue that must be discussed is the relationship of the commission to thy. City Council. A second work session will be scheduled. No official action was taken at said meeting. With no further business before the council, the meeting was adjourned at 6:40 p.m. Larry P. Burger city Clerk/Auditor