HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 03071995 - S.7 S , 7
TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Contra .
FROM: SUPERVISOR MARK DeSAULNIER = '�
SUPERVISOR TOM TORLAKSON ��.
Costa
County
7+lV� y`40
DATE: March 2, 1995
SUBJECT: ❑ ESTABLISHMENT OF CRITERIA FOR BOARD AGENDA
❑ -INVESTIGATE AND INSTALL APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY TO BETTER
FAIQ" 1 L ATE B.^�J1R�MEETINGS
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATIONS)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. REFER to the Internal Operations Committee a request to establish criteria for the
format of the Board of Supervisors' agenda to include time indications/limitations
for Determination items, Hearing items, "S" items, and the allotment of time for
Public Comment.
2. DIRECT the County Administrator to expedite a report back to the Board of
Supervisors on options which are available and the cost of installing each system,
such as colored lights, to accomplish. two objectives:
A. Indicate to the Chair that a Board member wishes to speak,and
B. Indicate to a speaker at the podium a one-minute warning and a 30-second
warning of time remaining to speak.
BACKGROUND:
The nature of the Board-of Supervisors' meetings has changed over the past several
years. Because so many issues come before the Board of Supervisors and because
matters require decisions at the earliest possible time, more and more items are placed
on each agenda. Additionally, and beneficially, the public participates more often in the
variety of matters which we address. As a result, the agendas contain more.items and
our meetings take more time.
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE:
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
APPROVE OTHER
SIGNATURE (S):
ACTION OF BOARD ON March 7, 1995 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER
APPROVED the recommendations set forth above, and REQUESTED the Internal Operations
Committee to review. the scheduling of all issues including the Closed Session.
ADJOURNED the Board Meeting this day to Tuesday, March 14, 1995, at 8:30 a.m. for Closed
Session with the consent calendar to begin at 9:30 a.m.
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
X _ _ _ I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
UNANIMOUS(ABSENT ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN.
ATTESTED March 7, 1995
Contact: PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF
cc: County Administrator SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
Internal Operations Committee
County Counsel
BY DEPUTY
A negative impact has been the public's inability to assess a time frame within which a
particular item is likely to be heard by the Board of Supervisors. Audience members have
been known to wait two, three, four and even five hours for a matter to come before the
Board of Supervisors. It is, therefore, appropriate for the Internal Operations Committee
to review this matter and provide criteria back to the Board of Supervisors on how to
better arrange and schedule the Board's agenda. Concepts could include scheduling the
closed session the first thing in the morning or in the early afternoon, limiting time for
discussion on items, and/or extending the length of Board meetings. Suggestions from
the public should be solicited for the Internal Operations Committee's review and
discussion.
A second item which needs to be addressed is a Board member's request to speak on
any given topic. Other elected bodies have moved toward electronic systems which
indicate to the Chair a request to speak. This provides a professional manner in which
to alert the presiding officer of a member's request to speak.
As part of this system, the Board should consider, installing lights which indicate to a
speaker at the podium how much time is remaining to speak, e.g., a blue light would
come on when one minute remained, a yellow light would come on when 30 seconds
remained, and a red light would come on when time had expired. This would preclude
the need to interrupt a speaker when time expired and would provide a system of equality
for all speakers.
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