HomeMy WebLinkAbout5.F.3. Agenda Format
5:F:3,
CITY OF SHAKOPEE
Memorandum COf~SENI
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Mark McNeill, City Administrator
SUBJECT: Agenda Format
, DATE: March 2, 2006
INTRODUCTION:
The purpose of this memo is to advise the Council of a new format for the City Council
meeting agendas.
BACKGROUND:
Upon adoption of the Strategic Visioning Initiative findings in November, the City
changed the Council agenda format to reflect the goals and strategies which had been
adopted as part ofthat18 month Visioning process.. The intent was to keep the City's
Mission Statement and Goals visible and in front of the Council, staff, and the public,
The Mission Statement was added at the beginning of each agenda, and agenda items
were grouped by support of one of the five adopted goals. Also, items which were
identified for the Consent Agenda were grouped at the beginning of the agenda, rather
than scattered throughout the agenda.
After utilizing this for three months, we feel that some revisions could be made which
would help to make a more "user friendly" format.
First, we feel that it is important to continue to emphasize the Goals. However, the new
format had made it more difficult to find particular types of actions (such as something
under Engineering, or Police and Fire), We have, with this agenda, gone back to the
system of placing departmental actions into groups. The Goals to be supported will be
identified (in the future, by Roman numerals so as not to lead to confusion as to agenda
item identifiers) at the end of each agenda item. Note that the Council may still have its
own preference as to which goal it might feel a particular action step relates to, but the
staff recommendation is intended to at least make a place on the agenda.
Second, it appears that having the Consent Agenda items at the beginning of the meeting
appears to be beneficial- in the past, we have had audience members who have attended
the meeting, but were not aware that action on their item had taken place during the first
part of the meeting. For that reason, we will continue to place the Consent Agenda items
at the beginning, but will group them by departmental categories. It may take more space
on the agenda itself, but we feel this is a good compromise.
Third, many actions are taken which do not directly tie to any ofthe five goals that were
adopted by the City. These are "housekeeping" issues, which in the overall scheme of
things probably do not have a direct effect on the long term vision ofthe City. For this
reason, we have added a sixth classification (to be seen as a goal) showing
"Housekeeping Item".
RELATIONSHIP TO VISIONING:
This agenda change is a Housekeeping item (F)
RECOMMENDATION:
We recommend that the Council try this new agenda format, and provide feedback for
further modifications.
ACTION REQUIRED:
No action is requested, other than feedback as appropriate.
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Mark McNeill
City Administrator