Council begins rulebook review; discusses meeting times, public comment and attorney contact policy

City staff opened a broad review of the city council rules on Aug. 18 and asked the council for direction on a suite of procedural items, including meeting times, how appointments appear on the consent agenda, public‑comment rules, liaison assignments and the process for council members to seek legal advice. City Manager Julia (last name not specified) said she reviewed the rules and highlighted items for council direction. On appointments, she noted the rules currently place appointments on the consent agenda and asked whether the council wanted to retain that practice; Councilor Patty and Councilor Sims said they preferred keeping appointments on the consent agenda and noted any item can be pulled for discussion. On meeting times, staff outlined options to change meeting days or start times and noted impacts on staff work‑session scheduling. Councilors said they preferred to defer large schedule changes to accommodate other councilmembers who travel from work; no schedule change was adopted and staff will bring proposed text reflecting current practice if the council wants it. On public comment, Julia pointed out the rules state comment is allowed for matters requiring a vote, but staff practice has been to allow public comment on all agenda items. Council members generally supported amending the rule to reflect practice and keep the option for the presiding officer to recognize speakers who raise issues during the meeting. On use of outside legal counsel and reimbursements, staff proposed routing council questions through the city manager to reduce duplication and frivolous inquiries. Some councilors supported vetting questions through staff to limit attorney time and costs; one councilor raised a concern that routing all legal requests through the city manager could make that office a gatekeeper and limit councilors’ direct access to the city attorney. Julia said she would draft language that preserves legitimate council access while reducing unnecessary duplication and would return draft amendments for council review. Staff said they will prepare tracked changes and bring proposed amendments to a future meeting for formal action.