CITY HALL Elected officials are seeing red, and it has nothing to do with finances.
During the last two City Council meetings, members have been handed agendas featuring estimated times for each item printed in red to remind those on the dais to be brief and stay on point.
“It seems to be working,” said Mayor Pro Tem Herb Katz, who along with Mayor Richard Bloom, has been working with city staff to better plan agendas and set time-sensitive goals for the council to reach.
“It forces us to be more conscientious and to talk with staff about questions we have beforehand, rather than coming to the meeting cold turkey, putting staff on the spot,” Katz added. “That can save quite a bit of time right there.”
While the two most recent meetings of the council — March 20 and April 10 — have indeed been noticeably shorter, adjourning at 9:38 p.m. and 9:58 p.m., respectively, the sessions have also been devoid of the types of hot-button issues that might draw residents by the dozen to speak before Council.
In addition to the new red agendas, members voted earlier this week to draft a form for members of the public seeking money, asking them to fill them out rather than e-mailing particular council members with their requests. That was done with the hopes of getting the requests to city staff earlier so that any questions about funding can be addressed prior to meetings.
Council members have been periodically addressing the length of meetings and how they can be shortened in the interest of public participation. The move began in earnest earlier this year when members floated several ideas during a council study session. The ideas ranged from placing time limits on elected officials during debates, to holding a separate meeting for closed session items, which generally include personnel matters, lawsuits and real estate negotiations.
The length of the meetings, which routinely go on past 11 p.m., has long been a contentious issue with residents, business owners and elected officials, who complain about the inability of the public to have input. There is also a concern about the ability of elected officials to do their jobs properly and not be hindered by fatigue, especially when they are making decisions that involve millions of dollars.
Katz and fellow councilman Bob Holbrook went so far as to file a lawsuit last year claiming the length of the meetings violated the Brown Act and the U.S. Constitution because it prevented the public from participating since public comment is reserved for the end of the meeting, leaving some people unable to speak their minds until well after midnight on issues not already on the agenda.
The lawsuit also said the long meetings violated the California Occupational Safety and Health Act because it forces employees to work excessively long hours.
Holbrook and Katz were eventually defeated, however, the lawsuit did spark discussion on how to cut back on the marathon sessions.
The council voted in 2001 to start meetings earlier, at 5:15 p.m., however, that didn’t last very long as many members were unable to get to City Hall in time because of their day jobs. Normally, meetings start around 5:45 p.m., but even then some members show up late because of traffic.
The council cannot start without a majority of members present.
To shorten meetings, the council already limits the amount of time members of the public have to speak to two minutes if 15 or more wish to comment on one item, or if 40 or more people are speaking on any combination of items. If there is not that number of people in the audience who wish the speak, then the public is allowed three minutes per comment.
While the new red agendas are forcing members to be mindful of the time, there is no policy in place that forces the council to vote on an item if they are running late.
“I think the long-term goal is to have all of our meetings run efficiently and try to make sure we are finishing at a reasonable time,” said Mayor Richard Bloom, whose job it is to manage the meetings and keep council members from being long-winded. “The fact of the matter is, we have a lot of weighty issues and there is more we can do to be more efficient, but we have to take the time needed to conduct business so that everyone’s voice is heard.
“This is definitely a work in progress.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 14, 2007. Read the original PDF.