Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, February 05, 2019
Consent
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDER INTRODUCING ORDINANCE NO. 19-1919, ADDING SUBSECTION E TO CARSON MUNICIPAL CODE SECTION 2403 (COUNCIL SEATING) OF CHAPTER 4 (CITY OFFICES - COUNCIL CHAMBERS - MEETINGS) OF ARTICLE II OF THE CARSON MUNICIPAL CODE TO ESTABLISH THE ORDER OF SEATING OF THE CITY COUNCIL AND OTHER ELECTED OFFICIALS ON THE DAIS DURING ALL CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS IN THE HELEN KAWAGOE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS OR AT OTHER LOCATIONS (CITY COUNCIL)
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I. SUMMARY
On September 16, 2015, the City Council approved Council Policy 1.02.03, affirming that the Mayor will determine the individual elected officials’ seating assignments, including the City Clerk and City Treasurer, for all meetings held in the Council Chambers or alternate location for meetings held outside the Council Chambers. This action superseded SMP 1.65 adopted on September 1, 2009, which granted the Mayor similar authority with respect to the City Council but not the other elected officials.
This ordinance provides that for meetings in the Council Chambers the Mayor shall be seated in the center seat, the Mayor Pro Tem shall be seated to the Mayor’s immediate left, the Councilmember with the most years served (by total tenure) shall be seated to the Mayor’s immediate right, the next most tenured member shall be seated to the most tenured member’s right, the least tenured member shall be seated to the Mayor Pro Tem’s left, the City Treasurer shall be seated to the left of the least tenured Council member, and the City Clerk shall be seated below the dais in a seat most accessible to members of the public. A similar order shall be maintained for Council meetings held in alternate locations, such as the Community Center.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
WAIVE further reading and INTRODUCE Ordinance No. 19-1919, "AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARSON, CALIFORNIA, ADDING SUBSECTION E TO CARSON MUNICIPAL CODE SECTION 2403 (COUNCIL SEATING) OF CHAPTER 4 (CITY OFFICES - COUNCIL CHAMBERS - MEETINGS) OF ARTICLE II OF THE CARSON MUNICIPAL CODE TO ESTABLISH THE ORDER OF SEATING OF THE CITY COUNCIL AND OTHER ELECTED OFFICIALS ON THE DAIS DURING ALL CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS IN THE HELEN KAWAGOE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS OR AT OTHER LOCATIONS (CITY COUNCIL)”
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III. ALTERNATIVES
Take another action the Council deems appropriate.
IV. BACKGROUND
On September 16, 2015, the City Council approved Council Policy 1.02.03, affirming that the Mayor determines individual elected officials’ seating assignments, including the City Clerk and City Treasurer, for meetings held in the Council Chambers and meetings held outside Council Chambers. This action superseded SMP 1.65 adopted on September 1, 2009, which granted the Mayor similar authority for the City Council seating but not the other elected officials.
At a Special Council Meeting held on January 28, 2019, Council members Davis-Holmes and Dear and Mayor Pro Tem Hicks agendized an item to revise the Council seating arrangement whereby the locations of the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem would be fixed and the other Council members’ seats would be determined by seniority based on number of years served.
This ordinance does that: for meetings in the Council Chambers the Mayor shall be seated in the center seat, the Mayor Pro Tem shall be seated to the Mayor’s immediate left, the Councilmember with the most years served (by total tenure) shall be seated to the Mayor’s immediate right, the next most tenured member shall be seated to the most tenured member’s right, the least tenured member shall be seated to the Mayor Pro Tem’s left, the City Treasurer shall be seated to the left of the least tenured Council member, and the City Clerk shall be seated below the dais in a seat most accessible to members of the public. A similar order shall be maintained for Council meetings held in alternate locations, such as the Community Center.
“Seniority based on total number of years served” for this section shall refer to all years on the City Council, including non-continuous years of service.
V. FISCAL IMPACT
This ordinance will reduce the fiscal impact from Council reorganizations by fixing the location of the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem. Each time the Mayor Pro Tem seat moves, the electronic voting system needs to be reconfigured, at a cost of at least $2,000 per change. More frequent changes, especially on short notice, would require the City to incur even higher costs if the contractor needed to come out on a rush basis. Alternatively, the Council would return to manual voting.
VI. EXHIBITS
1. ORDINANCE NO. 19-1919
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Prepared by: John S. Raymond, Acting City Manager