The city clerk, in coordination with the city manager, routinely prepares the agenda for city council meetings. There are times, however, when an individual councilmember would like to add an issue to the agenda. When this occurs, the councilmember must first formally ask the other councilmembers if they would like to pursue the issue, using a process called “council referral.” A majority vote is needed to put the new matter on a future agenda for discussion and resolution.
Simple enough. A council referral is meant to be a stepping stone to further council action. Unfortunately, when the referral process was adopted a decade ago, the option allowing for immediate dispositive action was added. Such ambiguity can leave the public not knowing what to expect. Continue reading
