Council General Government Committee

Summary

Meeting Overview

The General Government Committee met on April 9, 2013, at 11:00 a.m., with Steve Kay presiding. The committee addressed six agenda items during the meeting, taking 10 motions and votes and hearing 8 public comments. Two items were approved: the Approval of Summary and the Amendment of Section 4.104 of the Council Rules. Four items were deferred for future consideration: the Website Linking Policy, CAO Policy #3 and Fleet Right Sizing Update, Items in Committee, and the Metro Employees Credit Union Update.

Attendance

The following individuals were present at the meeting on April 7, 2013:

• Linda Gorton
• Chris Ford
• Shevawn Akers
• Julian Beard
• Jenny Scutchfield
• George Myers
• Harry Clarke
• Ed Lane
• Glenda George
• Sally Hamilton
• Scott Shapiro
• Jamshid Baradaran
• Piper L. Ham
• Jim Grav
• Kevin Stinnett

No absences or late arrivals were recorded.

Votes and Decisions

Approval of Meeting Summary 1:07 A motion by Shevawn Akers, seconded by Ed Lane, to approve the meeting summary with an amendment to include Diane Lawless and Julian Beard in attendees passed unanimously.

Amendment to Section 4.104 of the Council Rules 2:11 A motion by Chris Ford, seconded by Ed Lane, to amend Section 4.104 of the Council Rules to remove sections b, c, and j under Legislative Review passed by roll call vote with 6 ayes and 2 nays. Those voting in favor were Linda Gorton, Chris Ford, Shevawn Akers, Julian Beard, Jenny Scutchfield, and George Myers. Those voting against were Harry Clarke and Ed Lane.

Amendment to Strike Sections a, e, and i 2:11 A motion by George Myers to amend Section 4.104 of the Council Rules to strike sections a, e, and i failed.

Motion to Table Amendment 2:11 A motion by Julian Beard, seconded by Linda Gorton, to table the amendment to Section 4.104 of the Council Rules for up to one year failed by roll call vote with 3 ayes and 5 nays. Those voting in favor were Julian Beard, George Myers, and Linda Gorton. Those voting against were Steve Kay, Shevawn Akers, Harry Clarke, Ed Lane, and Chris Ford.

Approval of Amended Section 4.104 2:11 A motion by Harry Clarke, seconded by Ed Lane, to approve the amendment to Section 4.104 of the Council Rules after amendments were adopted passed by roll call vote with 5 ayes and 3 nays. Those voting in favor were Steve Kay, Shevawn Akers, Harry Clarke, Ed Lane, and Chris Ford. Those voting against were Julian Beard, George Myers, and Linda Gorton.

Removal of Items from Referred List 5:30 A motion by Linda Gorton, seconded by Ed Lane, to remove the resolution to amend 4.104 of the Council Rules from the items referred list passed unanimously. A motion by Ed Lane, seconded by Chris Ford, to remove the website linking policy from the items referred list also passed unanimously.

Quorum Amendment 9:23 A motion by Linda Gorton, seconded by Ed Lane, to add a 15-minute waiting period for quorum before adjournment passed unanimously.

Forward Quorum Amendment 12:30 A motion by Linda Gorton, seconded by Ed Lane, to forward the quorum amendment to the Council and place it on the docket passed unanimously.

Adjournment 5:30 A motion by Linda Gorton, seconded by George Myers, to adjourn the meeting passed unanimously.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting addressed one financial matter related to facility leasing:

Metro Employees Credit Union Lease Agreement

A lease agreement was discussed for space occupied by Metro Employees Credit Union within an LFUCG building. No specific dollar amount or resolution number was provided in the meeting materials.

Public Comment

Eight speakers addressed the body during public comment, raising concerns about quorum procedures and financial oversight of the Metro Employees Credit Union.

Quorum Procedures

Linda Gorton 3:19 expressed concern that allowing the chair to select non-committee members to meet quorum could lead to political favoritism and undermine transparency.

Julian Beard 5:30 raised similar concerns about bias, particularly if multiple non-members are present and the chair must choose among them.

Ed Lane 6:03 argued from an efficiency perspective, stating that delaying meetings due to lack of quorum wastes time and money, and that allowing a 15-minute wait is sufficient.

Kevin Stinnett 9:23 suggested setting a 15-minute maximum wait time for quorum to avoid inconsistency and potential disputes.

Credit Union Financial Oversight

Jenny Scutchfield 16:45 suggested including provisions for annual financial reporting and insurance standards to ensure accountability and protect employees' funds.

George Myers 18:26 asked whether the credit union is subject to annual audits and whether financial data should be disclosed to the public.

Shevawn Akers 21:51 suggested that the credit union's annual report should be made available to employees as a benefit and transparency measure.

Harry Clarke 22:56 proposed exploring ways to strengthen the relationship with the credit union by depositing government funds and using their services.

Contested Items

The April 7, 2013 meeting included three significant areas of disagreement among council members.

Quorum Rules and Selection of Non-Members

A procedural dispute arose regarding the chair's authority to select non-committee members to meet quorum requirements. Council members disagreed over whether this practice was appropriate, with concerns raised about fairness and the potential for political influence in the selection process.

Transparency of Legislative Review Items

Council members were divided on a proposal to remove Legislative Review items from the permanent record. The split vote reflected differing views on whether such removal would reduce transparency. Some council members argued for maintaining two readings of Legislative Review items to preserve the public record, while others supported the removal.

Website Linking Policy and City Involvement

A heated discussion took place regarding the city's practice of linking to for-profit entities on its website. Council members also debated whether the city should continue building and maintaining external websites for partner organizations. The discussion centered on the appropriateness of city resources being used to support external entities and the implications for city involvement in such partnerships.

Approval of Summary

The committee addressed the approval of the meeting summary 1:07. Key speakers on this item included Shevawn Akers, Linda Gorton, and Ed Lane.

The committee approved the meeting summary with one amendment. The amendment added Diane Lawless and Julian Beard to the attendance list. The motion to approve the summary with this amendment passed without dissent.

Amendment of Section 4.104 of the Council Rules

The committee discussed proposed changes to Section 4.104 of the Council Rules regarding Legislative Review 2:11. The discussion involved seven key participants: Glenda George, Linda Gorton, Julian Beard, Kevin Stinnett, Chris Ford, George Myers, and Ed Lane.

The proposed amendments addressed concerns related to transparency, efficiency, and public access to the legislative review process. Committee members debated the implications of the rule changes, with particular attention to how the modifications would affect the council's ability to review legislation and maintain public oversight.

During the discussion, various concerns were raised by committee members regarding the balance between streamlining the legislative review process and ensuring adequate transparency and public participation. The debate reflected differing perspectives on how to best structure the council rules to serve both efficiency and accountability objectives.

Following the discussion and consideration of amendments to the original proposal, the committee voted on the measure. The motion passed with a vote of 5-3, indicating that while a majority supported the amended version of the rule change, a significant minority opposed it.

The amendment was ultimately approved and moved forward for implementation.

Website Linking Policy

Scott Shapiro presented a draft policy that would allow for-profit entities to be linked from the city website. 3:00

The discussion revealed several concerns among council members about the proposed policy. Issues were raised regarding transparency in the linking process, potential branding implications for the city, and questions about the city's appropriate role in building or directing traffic to external websites.

Key speakers in the discussion included Linda Gorton, George Myers, and Julian Beard, who engaged with Shapiro on these concerns.

The council deferred the policy to May for further consideration and refinement.

CAO Policy #3 and Fleet Right Sizing Update

4:00

Jamshid Baradaran presented updates on fleet policy and related initiatives to the committee. The presentation covered three main areas: fleet policy updates, GPS implementation progress, and a proposed 10-year funding model for fleet management.

The committee reviewed the current status of these fleet-related initiatives and discussed the proposed funding framework. Rather than voting on the item during this meeting, the committee determined that further consideration was warranted.

Outcome

The committee agreed to defer this agenda item and move it to the May agenda for continued discussion and review.

Items in Committee

The committee addressed several pending items during this portion of the meeting 5:30.

Actions Taken

The committee voted to remove two items from the agenda: - The resolution to amend Section 4.104 - The website linking policy

Deferrals

Other items under committee consideration were deferred to the May meeting.

Key Participants

Linda Gorton, Ed Lane, and Chris Ford were the primary speakers during this discussion.

Outcome

The agenda items were deferred, with the committee choosing to address them at a later date rather than proceed with discussion at this meeting.

Metro Employees Credit Union Update

13:40

Sally Hamilton provided an update on the Memorandum of Agreement with Metro Employees Credit Union (MECU). The discussion centered on delays in finalizing the agreement, which Hamilton attributed to missing documents that had not yet been provided.

The following individuals participated in the discussion: Piper L. Ham, Julian Beard, Kevin Stinnett, Jenny Scutchfield, George Myers, and Harry Clarke.

The committee determined that the matter required further attention and agreed to revisit the Memorandum of Agreement with MECU at their May meeting, deferring final action on this item.