Town Policy 2 ~ Council/Staff Relationships
“The Council should give instructions to the Town’s staff in a manner according to the principles of the council/manager system. For example, assignments should be directed to the Town Manager and should originate from a consensus directive of the Council, not with individual council members. Council members should contact staff directly ONLY when the purpose is to communicate information; e.g. to report conditions, describe a problem, or request information. Council members SHOULD NOT contact staff with special project requests or utilize large blocks of staff time in order to pursue individual areas of interest.”
Potential violation: According to the Executive Summary on the February 20th council agenda, the town’s Legal Services Director, at the request of council members Rodman and Pina, undertook a review of the Animal Control Ordinance. This appears to be a violation of Policy 2 since two council members do not represent a consensus (a minimum 4-3 vote of the council).
The Town’s Legal Director does not work for the Council, he works for the Town Manager. If the Executive Summary is correct, why didn’t the Legal Services Director refer Councilmembers Rodman and Pina to Policy 2?
Town Policy 6 ~ Unbudgeted Expenditures
“All requests for expenditures not budgeted for in the Town’s budget, shall be forwarded to the Town Manager. Upon review, the Town Manager will forward said request(s) to the Town Council for approval. It shall be the decision, by way of a majority vote of the council, to either approve or disapprove said requests for expenditures.”
Potential violation: A few months ago, Town Manager, Mary Jacobs, chose to extend the Troon contract an additional six months (from June 2019 to December 2019). This extension is not budgeted due to the fact that the current budget runs out on June 30, 2019. The policy mandates the Town Manager to take the unbudgeted request to the Council. To date this has not been accomplished. Is the current Council mandated to approve this 6-month extension of the Troon contract in the upcoming budget?
Town Policy 9 ~ Council Liaison to Amphitheater School District Governing Board
Among other things, “The Council Member Liaison will meet quarterly with the Town Manager, the Amphitheater School District Superintendent, and President of the Amphitheater Board to discuss subjects of mutual interest, such as establish Intergovernmental Agreements if needed; promote joint-use facilities when possible…”
With the recent failure of Prop 454 (the proposed property tax to fund improvements at Naranja Park), do you think the previous Council liaison (former Councilmember Mary Snider) ever met with the above individuals to discuss the possibility of utilizing Amphi playgrounds during the summer months to expand the town’s playgrounds availability?
Awareness is key
One would think that all new Council members would be briefed by staff as to the Council policies. However, after observing the Town Manager violation of Policy 6 and the possible Councilmember violation of Policy 2, one wonders if anyone in staff is even aware of these policies.
