HomeMy WebLinkAbout(2013, 05/14) - A-3 - Adopted (Request for Research or Information)A-3
REQUESTS FOR RESEARCH OR INFORMATION
PURPOSE
Like most California cities, the City of Newport Beach is a City Council-City Manager form of
government. The City Council appoints a City Manager to implement policy, to ensure laws are
enforced, to direct the daily operations of city government, and to prepare and monitor the
municipal budget. Because Council Policy is implemented on a daily basis through City staff, it
is critical that the relationship between the City Council and City staff be well understood by all
parties so that policies and programs may be implemented successfully.
Charter Section 406 (Interference in Administrative Service) reinforces this relationship – it
reads as follows:
Neither the City Council nor any of its members shall interfere with the execution by the City
Manager of his or her powers and duties, or order, directly or indirectly, the appointment by the
City Manager or by any of the department heads in the administrative service of the City, of any
person to an office or employment or his or her removal therefrom. Except for the purpose of
inquiry, the City Council and its members shall deal with the administrative service under the
City Manager solely through the City Manager and neither the City Council nor any member
thereof shall give orders to any subordinates of the City Manager, either publicly or privately.
The purpose of this Council Policy is to further guide the implementation of Charter Section 406
so that the long tradition of positive relationships between members of the City Council and City
staff is maintained.
POLICY
A. General Interactions with City Staff: The City Manager, City Attorney, and City Clerk
are appointed directly by the City Council to provide executive, administrative and legal
services. In many cases, the City Manager encourages direct contact with department
directors within this Policy’s guidelines, thus enabling the Council Member to get
appropriate information quickly and easily. When interacting with City staff, Council
Members should keep in mind the work of City staff on current projects, assignments and
City Council priorities before requesting action or detailed information because these
requests may take staff time away from this work.
B. Requests for Information or Research:
1. For new issues, actions, or research proposed by a Council Member which require
approval by the City Council, Council Members will follow Council Policy A-6.
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2. For issues or actions that have been previously approved by the City Council, or
which do not require City Council approval, Council Members will, depending on
the nature of the request, route the request for information or research through the
City Manager, City Attorney, or City Clerk. It shall be the responsibility of the
City Manager, City Attorney, or City Clerk to promptly respond as to their
recommended disposition of the request. Upon authorization by the City
Manager, City Attorney, or City Clerk, the Council Member may communicate
directly with other city staff members (such as department directors) or City
consultants.
3. Council Members’ contact with City staff or City consultants, other than City
Council appointees, is limited to asking questions and obtaining information and
not giving direction or assignments.
4. If a Council Member’s request is expected to take more than thirty (30) minutes
(or in the case of a request from the Mayor, two hours) to research, gather
information, report on or otherwise respond to any inquiry, the City Manager,
City Attorney, or City Clerk shall ask that the Council Member or Mayor place
the request on the agenda for formal Council action per Council Policy A-6 before
the staff spends time or resources on the request.
Adopted May 14, 2013