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Council sets protocol: staff will screen public 'mayor and council' emails, mayor to send approved responses
Summary
Council discussed the public-facing 'mayor and council' inbox, concerns about messages falling through the cracks and open meeting law, and directed staff to screen incoming messages, prepare response drafts, and place responses in the council reading room; the mayor will send or approve responses on behalf of council.
Sierra Vista — The City Council discussed a longstanding question about how the public-facing "mayor and council" email inbox is handled and agreed on a screening protocol to reduce missed messages while guarding against open meeting law violations.
City staff explained the history: the public-facing inbox has, at times, been routed to multiple staff members and council, and practices have varied over different mayoral administrations. Staff told the council that the inbox often contains routine requests, occasional marketing or abusive messages, and items the public expects an elected-official response to.
Staff proposed, and council agreed in the meeting excerpt, that staff will screen incoming mayor-and-council emails, route them to the appropriate department for a drafted response, place the drafted response in the council reading room, and forward the draft to the mayor to send or approve for distribution. A staff presenter said, "Because the public thinks they're contacting mayor and council when they use that email," the city should ensure messages are received and addressed. Councilmembers emphasized the need to avoid violating open meeting laws by replying to the entire council via the shared inbox and discussed avoiding reply‑all and keeping one-on-one exchanges where appropriate.
Why it matters: constituents use the mayor-and-council address expecting an elected-official-level reply. Council members raised concerns about messages that go unanswered and asked for a simple acknowledgement mechanism if a message has been received. The agreed procedure is intended to provide consistency, ensure responses are drafted by staff, provide mayoral review or sign-off, and document replies in the reading room so the public record shows the city responded.
Discussion vs. decision: the transcript records direction to staff rather than a formal ordinance or regulation change; staff and the mayor will implement the screening and response protocol described.
End note: councilmembers retained the ability to respond individually to messages sent directly to their personal council emails but asked staff to manage the public inbox to prevent messages from slipping through the shared account.
