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Council and Board of Public Works to schedule special meeting after oversight questions; chain-of-command clarified
Summary
Council members pressed the Board of Public Works for answers and agreed to schedule a special meeting; staff and council discussed appropriate channels for council interaction with department staff and board oversight.
Council members on June 17 sought clearer oversight and communication protocols for the Board of Public Works after a councilmember’s questions prompted discussion about who should report to whom.
Second Ward Councilwoman April Azataya and other council members said the Board of Public Works had not fully answered a packet of questions she submitted. Board officials agreed to a special meeting to provide answers; council members expected those answers before the July 1 council meeting. “We will have the answers to my questions before July 1,” Azataya said.
Council discussion centered on whether a council liaison should attend board meetings and the correct chain of command for operational versus administrative requests. Interim City Manager Andy Dorian said department heads report to council through the city manager and that direct operational communication with managers is appropriate, but administrative or policy changes should go through the city manager. “If we want to deal with a member of the city, we have to go through the city manager,” Dorian said.
Board members and the council also discussed routinely inviting the Board of Public Works to the council on a quarterly or bimonthly basis so the board can report directly to the council. Council members said that practice had been proposed before; the board signaled willingness to appear regularly and to post meetings in keeping with open‑meeting laws.
No formal policy changes were adopted. The Board of Public Works committed to a special meeting to respond to Azataya’s packet and to coordinate with council and staff on future reporting. The council asked city staff to prepare clearer documentation of departmental reporting lines and to discuss charter clarifications with the city attorney.
