HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncilmember Item - Councilmember Brenden - Move City CouncCITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH
` City Council Interoffice Communication
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Patrick Brenden, City Council Member /1.6
DATE: April 30, 2018
SUBJECT: CITY COUNCIL MEMBER ITEM FOR THE MAY 6, 2018, CITY COUNCIL
MEETING — MOVE CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS FROM MONDAY TO TUESDAY
St rd
Regular meetings of the Huntington Beach City Council have traditionally been scheduled on the 1 and 3
Mondays of each month except when a regular meeting falls on a holiday, in which case such regular meeting
is moved to the next business day (Tuesday).
Conflicts with holidays occur often. In 2018, there are four occasions upon which the regular City Council
meeting falls on a holiday. In 2017, there were five such occasions. Historically, there have been as few as
three and as many as five such occasions each year. In all of these cases, the regular meeting was moved to
Tuesday. This situation leads to inconsistency in the schedule for regular City Council meetings and can cause
confusion for the public and others wishing to watch or attend.
Regular Planning Commission meetings are held on the 2nd and 4th St
Tuesdays of each month. When the 1day
of the month falls on a Tuesday, as it does this month, this leads to a situation where the regular meetings of the
Planning Commission and City Council fall in the same week, on successive nights. Each year, there are one or
two months in which this occurs. In these months, City Staff is faced with two public meetings occurring on
successive nights (City Council on Monday; Planning Commission on Tuesday).
In order to eliminate the conflicts described above, I propose that regular meetings of the Huntington Beach City
Council be scheduled on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays instead of 1st and 3rd Mondays.
This change would be in compliance with the Huntington Beach City Charter which, under Article III, Section 303,
states that `The City Council shall hold regular meetings at least twice each month at such time as it shall fix by
ordinance or resolution..." and "If any regular meeting falls on a holiday such regular meeting shall be held on the
next business day."
This change would require a Council Resolution and modification of the City Council Manual that was initially
adopted by Resolution No. 4330, dated September 20, 1976, and specified in Chapter 1.03, Section 1.03.02, that
"Regular Council Meetings shall be held in the City Council Chambers on the first and third Mondays of each month
at 7 p.m., except when a meeting falls on a holiday it shall be held on the next business day." Multiple City Council
Resolutions fixing the different starting times of City Council Meetings have been adopted over the years.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Direct the City Manager to work with staff to propose modifications to the Council Manual and work with the City
Attorney to return and present to Council appropriate Resolutions to establish that regular City Council meetings
shall be held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month. Return to City Council for action within 45 days.
xc: Fred Wilson, City Manager 5-/?/�?
Lori Ann Farrell Harrison, Assistant City Manager
Robin Estanislau, City Clerk
Michael Gates, City Attorney NO ACUION VTAMN
Harper, Gloria
Surf City Pipeline <noreply@user.govoutreach.com>
Monday, May 07, 2018 3:40 PM
Pipeline Clerk Agenda
Surf City Pipeline: You have been assigned a new Request #: 32786
Request # 32786 from the Government Outreach System has been assigned to you.
Request type: Problem
Request area: City Council - Agenda & Public Hearing Comments
Dear council members,
In regards to the items in tonight's agenda, I would like to provide a comment to item
In regards to item 16, I can understand a desire to move the meeting schedule from
Monday to Tuesday, but please keep in mind the regular schedules Main Street fair
event on Tuesday. I think we're all aware that boosting business along Main Street is
important and scheduleing city council meetings on the same day will impact Councils
ability to attend, support or interface with consituants and could impact council meeting
attendance by those that regular support the local businesses on those days. Just a
In regards to item 15, while I'm not a fan of increased bureaucracy, a study session to
review the pros / cons and general needs of a key city resource that is probably under
utilized, is a good idea. It was just a short while ago that the city and the harbor
community was almost blindsided by the shut down of a crucial business ( the fuel dock
), that could of dramatically changed the desirability of the harbor, not to mention
property values or worse the potential fires or pollution by people trying to refuel their
boats at the dock with portable containers.
The harbor also has some unique challenges with multiple, overlapping agencies that
leave an unclear situation as to who's responsible, or who to call.
With the addition of Sunset Beach, younger families moving in, the remodeling /
rebuilding of upgraded homes, aging infrastructure, the harbor is going through some
And for many of the newer residents, the permitting process is unclear, enforcement
responsibilities aren't really understood and frankly as a city our abilities to respond to
pollution issues or concerns in certain cases is questionable.
As a city resource, the harbor appears to be under utilized. And while I don't think
anyone would agree sending hordes of tourists to the harbor would be wise, addressing
certain issues within the community and promoting the desirability and lifestyle of the
area, could attract buinesses to the area, as well as potential homeowners. Considering
one wouldn't know the harbor exists when visiting the city web page, we probably
could do a better job in this area.
That said, I believe a small group of stakeholders within the community, working with
a small team from the city would be a worthwhile effort and time well spent.
Sincerely, Bill Larkin
Expected Close Date: May 21, 2018
Click here to access the request
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