SUBJECT/RECOMMENDATION:
Title
Create a City Council rule relating to the receipt and acknowledgement of citizen comments submitted electronically and adopt Resolution 23-04.
Body
SUMMARY:
During the Covid-19 pandemic, an informal practice arose in which the City Clerk read each citizen comment that has been submitted electronically prior to the meeting in order to promote citizen engagement during a time when in-person meetings had been suspended. Although in-person meetings have been reinstated, the City Clerk has continued this practice.
The current Council rules do not define the process by which comments submitted in advance of public Council meetings are to be received or acknowledged. iLegislate, the electronic system in use, is capable of receiving and categorizing these comments, so this process is no longer necessary.
This proposed rule provides that any citizen who submits electronic comments by 5:00pm on the calendar day prior to a Council meeting at which official action is to be taken, when said comments are designated specifically for the next Council meeting, will be acknowledged by name. The Chair shall read the citizen’s name phonetically, unless the citizen has indicated a different pronunciation. The Chair shall not read the citizen’s comment aloud, but shall verbally confirm with the City Clerk that each citizen comment has been received into the record.