The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About12/04/1995• STUDY SESSION MINUTES CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO 7500 W. 20th Avenue, Municipal Building DECEMBER 4, 1995 7:00 P.M. The Study Session Meeting was called to order by Mayor Wilde at 7:00 p.m. Councilmembers present: Teri Dalbec, Jerry DiTullio, Don Eafanti, Jean Fields, Janelle Shaver, Ken Siler, Tony Solano arrived at 7:18 p.m., and Claudia Worth. Also present: City Clerk, Wanda Sang; City Administrator, Robert Middaugh; City Attorney, Gerald Dahl, and City Treasurer, James Malone. Item 1. Discussion of Council Policies. 1. Redefine treatment of staff so no department is discriminated against at any time for any reason. Mrs. Worth stated the policy should be that all staff is treated the same including staff that are employed by elected officials and not under the Administrative Department. 2. Establish clear cut duties of the President and the Mayor Pro-Tem in order that the agenda is controlled by the Council and not by Staff. Mrs. Worth stated the policy for placing items on the agenda for regular council meetings is; That the person or Councilmember prepares their own item and paperwork, and it shall be filed with the City Clerk by Noon on Wednesday. If it is filed late it will not go on the agenda. Council discussed if there were any additional duties of the Mayor pro tempore beyond those listed in the City Charter. 3. That the City Council will have control over the Cable T.V. channel and that at no time will tapes of the City Council Meetings be edited without prior approval of the majority of the City Council. Mr. Middaugh stated the policy the City has with T.C.I. is that the meeting is taped when the meeting is called to order with the gavel and the meeting is adjourned with the gavel. 4. Establish a gallery in the lobby for all students in Wheat Ridge to display their works and a policy for selecting such works. • • STUDY SESSION MINUTES: December 4, 1995 Page -2- Consensus was 7-1 to promote kids art to hang in City Hall and ask Sherry Fuller, Volunteer Coordinator, to recruit a volunteer to coordinate the logistics and policy recommendations from staff concerning where and how all artists can display art in the various municipal buildings. 5. Request and publish salaries of all employees in the city. Consensus was 5-3 that the salaries of all individual employees by name be furnished to city councilmembers. 6. Establish a time line for these procedures to be done. Mr. Middaugh stated that Staff will report back to Council. the second meeting in January, 1996 to give a progress report on the policies. Consensus was 8-0 to amend the present Council Rules of Order and Procedure that any councilmember can place any item on the agenda to the exclusion of no more than two items per month, and that the City Clerk has to be notified of these items no later than noon on Wednesday, and the back up material for the items being submitted no later than close of business Wednesday. Consensus was 3-5 to reconsider the Council Rules of Order and Proceedings that 11:00 p.m. time frame for adjournment of meetings that it doesn't take a vote by supermajority to continue on with the agenda. Failed. Consensus was 7-1 referring to Item No. 6, Time Line Procedures, that staff will tell council and give feedback on items requested by council as to what progress is being made. Consensus was 6-2 at 11:00 p.m. the City Council shall complete action on the agenda item then under discussion. Consensus was 3-5 to reconsider the 11:00 p.m. deadline policy for adjourning city council meeting. 7. Before the end of the year have an employee reception so the council can meet the employees. Consensus was 8-0 to hold a reception for City Council to meet and become acquainted with city employees. STUDY SESSION MINUTES: December 4, 1995 Page -3- 8. Request job descriptions for all employees. Mr. Middaugh stated that a copy will be placed in the file in the Council conference room. 9. Request P.C. and File Cabinet in City Hall for Council use. Consensus was 7-1 for staff to develop a policy for getting a Word Processor and an office to be available for use by councilmembers. 10. Define difference between a city administrator and a city manager. Mr. Middaugh stated functionally there is really very little difference in terms of what he does as a City Administrator or what Mr. Rock, City Manager of City of Lakewood, duties are. What defines the difference is the individual City Charter. My duties are defined by the Wheat Ridge City Charter as is Mr. Rock's duties are defined by the Charter as to the day to day operation of the city. We hire, fire, set salaries as to budget allowances set by City Council, both have rules in assisting in policy development as to certain limitations set by Council. Where there is a difference is how the City of Wheat Ridge defines its form of government, and that is where there is a substantial difference. Mr. Rock as City Manager reports directly to the full City Council. The City of Wheat Ridge Charter states that the City Administrator will report directly to the Mayor, and the Mayor is accountable to the people. Therefore, the City Administrator of Wheat Ridge has rather an indirect relationship with the Council. 11. Amendments to Council Rules Section 3.1 - add new sentence to end of section stating: Consensus votes during a study session are non-binding, and until the issue is disposed of at a business, adjourned, or special meeting, may be amended or reconsidered in that or any future study session. Section 5.6 modify 11/20 study session consensus as follows: Section 5.6-Time of Adjournment: At 11:00 p.m., the City Council shall complete action on the agenda item then under discussion and shall adjourn the meeting. Prior to such adjournment, the Council may, acting by supermajority, take any or all of the following actions: 1). vote to complete all or portions of the remaining agenda, of 2). schedule any unfinished items for a future regular meeting, or 3). continue the meeting to a later date and time certain. J STUDY SESSION MINUTES: December 4, 1995 Section 5.3-modify as follows: C Page -4- Fourth sentence: The City Clerk's office shall be notified of any agenda item by noon on the Wednesday preceding the Monday on which Council meets, and all backup documents must be filed with the City Clerk's office by 5:00 p.m. on that day. Section 5.4-modify current language as follows: Section 5.4 Agenda Items: Each Council member shall be allowed to originate only two items per month to be added to the regular City Council agenda. Item 2. Discussion of Budget. , Council discussed the procedure for hiring an in-house attorney, or contracting a City Attorney, setting up a law library and budgeting funds for that purpose. Consensus was 8-0 to put on the agenda for December 18th to ratify full time Gerald Dahl's Law Firm as the primary law firm for the City. Council discussed the funds budgeted for new computers and purchase of computer system for the Police Department. Consensus was 8-0 for staff to obtain a proposal, an RFP cost factor, for new Police Computers prior to getting the request for the Police Communication System, in order to ascertain if there will be any savings. Council discussed the amount of $125,000 approved in the 1996 Budget for the Comprehensive Plan and asked that it be removed from the budget for further study. Consensus was 5-3 to bring back as a budget amendment the amount approved in the 1996 budget of $125.000 for the Comprehensive Plan and $3500 budgeted for Office Supplies for consideration at the regular city council meeting January 8, 1996 and then forward to the City Affairs Committee for further study and look at other options. Consensus was 8-0 to put on a study session agenda for first meeting in March, 1996 an item to study spending down the reserve fund. STUDY SESSION MINUTES: December 4, 1995 Page -5- Council discussed the proposed design of the bike path going down Wadsworth to Dudley going into the open space area. Council discussed the upcoming Celebration of the Arts to be held July 27-28, 1996. Consensus was 8-0 to put on a study session agenda in 1996 an item to study the performance criteria for the Compensation Merit system. There being no further business the meeting adjourned at 11:15 p.m. 4,4 J'-' Sang, City CI