[Vision2020] RE: Eliminating City Council committees

Tue, 3 Feb 2004 07:54:14 -0800

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Hi Everyone,

I should first mention that this proposed change is a result of the desire
by the City Council to move the current committees times from right before
the full City Council meeting to other days of the week and other times. The
workshop that was held last week was held to allow the full City Council to
discuss how to better serve the public by putting some time between when
items come to a committee and when these items are discussed at City
Council. The proposal that garner the most support was the “workshop” model
that we are now discussing.

I sent a previous posting to V2020 to get some feedback about changes to the
organization of City Council. The changes involve modifying Moscow City
Code, because the current organization is specified within the city
statutes. Essentially we are moving from a pair of subcommittees to a
“workshop” of the entire City Council. I voted against the proposed
“workshop” format for a couple of reasons – I believe that the title of
workshop is misleading and confusing to the public and I believe that the
committee structure can work effectively if the committees are separated by
temporal distance from the Council meetings themselves. I am content to
allow the experiment of having a single six person committee of the whole
meet on alternate weeks. I hope we don’t have to call it a “workshop” and I
hope we can find a time for these meetings that will be helpful and
accessible to the public, whether they attend a meeting or view a meeting on
Channel 13 (they are televised).

Most of the feedback I’ve gotten has come thru V2020, but I have also gotten
a few comments in grocery stores (by people who saw the posting on V2020).
All responses about the time of these meetings favored a meeting time of
7:00 pm. Few of the responses addressed the structure of the “workshop”
committee.

I believe that the intent of the “workshops” is to provide more information
to the public and to allow for more participation by the public. We will be
trying this experiment and it would be nice if this change enabled more
public involvement. In order for this to be, the Council must carefully
start this experiment by defining “workshop” so it is understandable to the
public, by setting the meeting times so that the public is encouraged to
attend the meetings, and by arranging a seating format for these meetings
that draws the public into the discussions of the Council members. All of
these items are possible and I hope we can discuss how to make these things
happen at the next City Council meeting on Tuesday, February 3. I encourage
the public to come and help in our discussion.

John
--
John Dickinson
Moscow City Council
Moscow, ID 83843
208-882-7977
jdickinson@moscow.com

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<div class=3DSection1>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3DEmailStyle17><font size=3D2 =
color=3Dblack
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>Hi
Everyone,<o:p></o:p></span></font></span></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3DEmailStyle17><font size=3D2 =
color=3Dblack
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>&nbsp;<o:p></o:p=
></span></font></span></p>

I should
first mention that this proposed change is a result of the desire by the =
City
Council to move the current committees times from right before the full =
City
Council meeting to other days of the week and other times. The workshop =
that
was held last week was held to allow the full City Council to discuss =
how to
better serve the public by putting some time between when items come to =
a
committee and when these items are discussed at City Council. The =
proposal that
garner the most support was the &#8220;workshop&#8221; model that we are =
now discussing.<o:p></o:p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3DEmailStyle17><font size=3D2 =
color=3Dblack
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>&nbsp;<o:p></o:p=
></span></font></span></p>

I sent
a previous posting to V2020 to get some feedback about changes to the
organization of City Council. The changes involve modifying Moscow City =
Code,
because the current organization is specified within the city statutes.
Essentially we are moving from a pair of subcommittees to a =
&#8220;workshop&#8221; of the
entire City Council. I voted against the proposed &#8220;workshop&#8221; =
format for a
couple of reasons &#8211; I believe that the title of workshop is =
misleading and
confusing to the public and I believe that the committee structure can =
work
effectively if the committees are separated by temporal distance from =
the
Council meetings themselves. I am content to allow the experiment of =
having a
single six person committee of the whole meet on alternate weeks. I hope =
we
don&#8217;t have to call it a &#8220;workshop&#8221; and I hope we can =
find a time for these
meetings that will be helpful and accessible to the public, whether they =
attend
a meeting or view a meeting on Channel 13 (they are =
televised).<o:p></o:p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3DEmailStyle17><font size=3D2 =
color=3Dblack
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'><![if =
!supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></p>

Most of
the feedback I&#8217;ve gotten has come thru V2020, but I have also =
gotten a few
comments in grocery stores (by people who saw the posting on V2020). All
responses about the time of these meetings favored a meeting time of =
7:00 pm.
Few of the responses addressed the structure of the =
&#8220;workshop&#8221; committee.<o:p></o:p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3DEmailStyle17><font size=3D2 =
color=3Dblack
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>&nbsp;<o:p></o:p=
></span></font></span></p>

I
believe that the intent of the &#8220;workshops&#8221; is to provide =
more information to the public and =
to allow
for more participation by =
the
public. We will be trying this experiment and it would be nice if this =
change
enabled more public =
involvement.
In order for this to be, the Council must carefully start this =
experiment by
defining &#8220;workshop&#8221; so it is understandable to the public, =
by setting the
meeting times so that the public is encouraged to attend the meetings, =
and by
arranging a seating format for these meetings that draws the public into =
the
discussions of the Council members. All of these items are possible and =
I hope
we can discuss how to make these things happen at the next City Council =
meeting
on Tuesday, February 3. I encourage the public to come and help in our
discussion.<o:p></o:p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3DEmailStyle17><font size=3D2 =
color=3Dblack
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>&nbsp;<o:p></o:p=
></span></font></span></p>

<p class=3DMsoAutoSig><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>John<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoAutoSig><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>--<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoAutoSig><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>John =
Dickinson<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoAutoSig><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>Moscow City =
Council<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoAutoSig><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>Moscow, ID =
83843<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoAutoSig><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>208-882-7977<o:p></o:p></span></fon=
t></p>

<p class=3DMsoAutoSig><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>jdickinson@moscow.com<o:p></o:p></s=
pan></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3D"Times New =
Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;color:black'><![if =
!supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]></span></font><font
color=3Dblack><span =
style=3D'color:black;mso-color-alt:windowtext'><o:p></o:p></span></font><=
/p>

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