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Ypsilanti council directs staff to design formal onboarding for new council members
Summary
Council voted to direct the city manager and clerk to develop a formal onboarding process for newly elected or appointed council members, after debating which elements should be staff-led and which are the council’s responsibility.
The Ypsilanti City Council voted to ask the city manager and city clerk to develop a comprehensive onboarding process for newly elected or appointed council members, specifying that the proposed program be brought back to council for review.
Councilmember Amber Fellows introduced the resolution after describing her own experience as a newly seated councilmember and the difficulty of learning procedures and key documents without a formal process. The resolution asks staff to assemble a digital information packet (charter, ordinances, budgets, committee structures), coordinate orientation and training sessions, produce a schedule for required administrative forms, and recommend a mentorship and networking approach. It also asks for ongoing support and check-ins throughout the first year.
Council debate focused on where responsibility should sit for particular items. Several councilmembers and the city attorney pointed out that some content — for example, legal and parliamentary training — has traditionally come from the city attorney or Michigan Municipal League (MML), while mentorship pairings among councilmembers fall under council discretion rather than staff direction. Councilmember Fellows accepted a friendly amendment clarifying that the city manager and city clerk are to develop the onboarding proposal and bring it back to council for approval; the final language also made the proposal suggestive (“may include”) rather than prescriptive.
A further amendment clarified that staff would compile resources such as the board portal software (CivicClerk/CivicPlus) and make practical how-to materials available. Council asked staff to prepare a digital "starter packet" with links, contacts and suggested trainings (for example, MML parliamentary-procedure sessions) and to present a recommended rollout timeline. Council approved the amended resolution by roll call; all present voted yes.
Ending: Council directed staff to prepare the proposed onboarding materials and bring a draft policy back to council for formal approval.
