Council deadlocks on new-business rule; proposed requirement to consult city manager fails

Council debate over how individual council members place new-business items on the agenda ended without a change in procedure after a motion by Councilor Olsen failed to win a majority.

Councilor Olsen moved that requests by council members to place items on the agenda be discussed with the city manager and appropriate staff before the item could appear, giving staff a chance to assess level of effort and timing. He asked that the city manager have discretion about when and if the item would be added and requested staff consider a quarterly meeting slot for new-business items. “It must be discussed with the city manager and appropriate staff before it can appear on the agenda,” Olsen said in introducing the motion.

Councilor Sampson offered an amendment that would preserve a councilor’s right to have the item placed on an agenda while still requiring consultation about timing and resources; Sampson’s amendment was recorded in the minutes with a 5-3 roll call in favor. Despite debate about council prerogative and staff workload, the full motion that granted discretion to the city manager ended in a 4-4 tie and therefore failed to pass.

Mayor Pro Tem Mallow, Councilors Samson, Foley, McFall and others described concerns on both sides: some members said repeated reintroduction of the same topics distracted staff and the council, while others cautioned against limiting an individual councilor’s ability to place items before the full council. Councilor Kovach and several colleagues said they preferred leaving the current process intact.

No ordinance or formal rule change was adopted; councilors who sought guardrails on repeated items indicated they would continue discussing possible procedural changes with staff.