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Council narrows scope of required staff-to-council communications, approves exceptions to Policy 1.03
Summary
Council voted 4'1 to adopt revisions to Policy 1.03 that create enumerated exceptions to the requirement that staff copy all council members on routine correspondence; the body excluded two specific exception categories from the approved list.
The Moreno Valley City Council voted 4'1 on Tuesday to approve revisions to city policy 1.03 that enumerate exceptions to a long-standing internal rule requiring staff to copy all council members on correspondence.
City Manager Brian Mohan said staff discovered an older provision requiring that staff "copy in all cases to all city council members and the city manager" on correspondence unless it was confidential in nature. The policy language dated from the early 1990s and staff and the city attorney recommended clarifying exceptions to avoid operational confusion and unnecessary e'mail volume.
Staff prepared a list of proposed exceptions that covers situational items such as (1) media interview requests for quotes, (2) commissioner application logistics, (3) constituent casework routed through the citizen-request system (CRM), (4) personnel and confidential matters, (5) travel logistics and per diem questions, and (6) district-specific constituent requests. City Manager Mohan emphasized the list was intended to be comprehensive but not exhaustive; staff and the city attorney said they would work with council to refine items later.
After discussion, Council Member Bernard moved to adopt staff'recommended revisions but to remove two items from the exception list: (a) "communications related to questions about any given agenda item and related staff reports" and (b) "communications related to availability of a specific council member for attendance at any city event." The motion passed 4'1 (Mayor Pro Tem Elena Baca Santa Cruz voted no). Council debate focused on balancing transparency and administrative burden; several council members said they preferred to keep agenda-item questions shared with the full council to flag issues for all members.
The council directed staff to implement the policy revisions and to provide training and a follow'up report to clarify how the new exceptions will be applied operationally.
