HomeMy WebLinkAboutAO 1 Council Agenda Reports 06271978 Superseded ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER N0 . 1
yr
TO : All Department and Division Heads June 27 , 1978 1V FROM : Lee Kraft , City Manager L�-
SUBJECT : ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO 1 ABOUT COUNCIL AGENDA REPORTS
This order will prescribe the style and format of all agenda reports to the City Council ,
the type of information to be included in these reports , and the deadline for the receipt
of these .reports in the City Manager' s Office :
I . STYLE AND FORMAT OF AGENDA REPORTS
A specimen copy of the approved type of Council agenda report is attached
hereto . Unless you are given approval by the City Manager to deviate from
this format , this is the style and format of the report you will deliver to the
City Manager' s Office for the Council agenda .
II . CONTENT OF AGENDA REPORTS
REFERENCE (S ) :
n
In this space list all of the reports , letters , or whatever the nature of your
substantiating material that you will have attached to the covering report .
If you have a report which you choose not to attach but which you believe the
Manager or the Council might be interested in knowing about , then list the
report and indicate in parentheses where the report can be seen if one were
inclined to want to read it .
The objective is to provide the Council with sufficient and appropriate infor-
mation on the basis of which sound decisions can be made . Deciding what is
enough is a subjective judgment you will have to make . What is suggested
here is to avoid the tendency to overload the Council with repetitive information
and unrelated information which is not necessary for the decision -making process .
ACTION REQUESTED OF COUNCIL/STAFF RECOMMENDATION :
Under this heading , one specifically , directly , and tersely writes out the
decision you want the Council to make . Most generally one would write out
the motion that would be required of the Council to effectuate the action you are
recommending .
N" LL , .: uivi i n kieacis June 2 / , 19 i8
HISTORY AND FACTS BRIEF :
Under this heading , one tells the who , what , when , why , where , and how of
the matter . This generally should be a resume of the history of the matter
being presented and should stand on its feet as to telling the uninformed what
the issue is all about . What you put here is the encapsulated history of the
issue . When a Council member or a citizen reads what you say under this
heading he or she should have a pretty good idea why the matter is on the
agenda , what the problem is that brings the issue to the Council , who origi -
nated the request , how it got to the Council , who all has been involved in the
issue , etc .
An appropriate criterion to follow is to forget for a moment that you know
anything about the issue , and place yourself in the shoes of the uninformed
reader , and say to yourself , " If I read this , would I know enough of the history
and facts to know why this matter is on the agenda ? " The caution is to not be
too skimpy with facts if they are needed to properly set the stage in the reader' s
mind .
DISCUSSION AND ALTERNATIVES :
Under this heading , one lays his or her arguments on the line , and arrays for
the reader the most viable of the available alternatives . If one has a particular
alternative to defend , then here is where one spells out the reasons why the
particular alternative deserves the approval of the Council . The idea is to be
sound and rational in your approach . Again , put yourself in the reader' s place
and consider whether or not you have made a convincing argument for your case .
OTHER COMMENTS :
Under this heading , if required , one can add remarks or comments that were not
appropriate under other headings . Also , here is where the City Manager can add
some additional comments if he feels it is necessary ,
III . DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF AGENDA REPORTS
The deadline for receipt of agenda reports is Thursday noon prior to the Monday
night Council Meeting . Reports not in on time will be held over until the next
succeeding Council Workshop . The desirable objective is for each department
head to advise the City Manager' s Secretary on Monday about the agenda reports
that will be forthcoming from that department during the week but before the
Thursday noon cut-off date . Late reports will not be tolerated unless specific
permission is given by the City Manager prior to Thursday noon to do so . Late
reports will generally relate to emergency conditions beyond the control of the
department head and over which he/she had no control . Late reports not covered
by the emergency exemption will be returned to the department head for resub-
mittal at the next succeeding Council Meeting .
Department and Division Heads - 3 - June 27 , 1978
N . MAPS
Any action requested of the Council relating to a specific piece of ground or
property , must be accompanied by a vicinity map which shall identify enough
of the appropriate features (streets , alleys , etc . ) to make it readily apparent
to the reader where it is you are talking about .
LFK :lg
attachment
AGENDA REPORT NO ,
FOR: City Council DATE:
TO: Lee Kraft , City Manager
00m:
SUBJECT:
I . REFERENCE (S) : (List only those attached)
II , ACTION REQUESTED OF COUNCIL/STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
III . HISTORY AND FACTS BRIEF:
IV , DISCUSSION & ALTERNATIVES:
i
V . OTHER COMMENTS :