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TO: Mayor Irvin and the City Council
FROM: The Rules, Administration, and Procedures Committee
DATE: June 19, 2019
SUBJECT:
Access to Preliminary Standing Committee Meeting Materials
PURPOSE:
To provide that all members of the Council may have access to standing committee preliminary meeting packets and materials on the same basis as the members of the standing committees.
BACKGROUND:
At least since the City began using the Granicus Legistar agenda management software several years ago (Legistar), preliminary standing committee meeting materials have only been accessible to members of each standing committee. Only after a standing committee reports an item to the Committee of the Whole (COW), does the item and its back-up materials become available to the remainder of the Council and to the public.
The Ordinance that created the Special Committee on Revisions to the City Code expressly provided that preliminary meeting materials available to the special committee would also be made available to the full Council at the same time. Similarly, the Ordinance that reorganized the City Council's committees last month also contained language vesting each committee chairperson with the discretion to allow aldermen who are not members of his or her standing committee to have access to materials available to committee members.
DISCUSSION:
In adopting the new committee system last month, the Council increased the number and size of the standing committees and required each alderman to serve on at least two standing committee - a significant departure from the previous practice. In doing so, the Council increased the exposure of each alderman to more areas of City government. The Committee feels that, however well-intended, the existing practice of limiting access to preliminary standing committee materials to committee members prior to COW runs contrary to this new approach. Allowing greater access to these materials will allow aldermen to more intelligently decide which standing committees (other than their own) to attend and affords more time to prepare for an item's eventual discussion at COW.
IMPACT STATEMENT:
This proposal has no impact on City staffing or finances and will help aldermen better represent the community.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the Council adopt this resolution.
cc: Rules, Administration, and Procedures Committee
CITY OF AURORA, ILLINOIS
RESOLUTION NO. _________
DATE OF PASSAGE ________________
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A Resolution with respect to the preliminary meeting materials available to members of the City Council.
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WHEREAS, the City of Aurora has a population of more than 25,000 persons and is, therefore, a home rule unit under subsection (a) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution of 1970; and
WHEREAS, subject to said Section, a home rule unit may exercise any power and perform any function pertaining to its government and affairs for the protection of the public health, safety, morals, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, the City has organized the City Council into various standing committees with jurisdiction over defined subject matter; and
WHEREAS, in advance of meetings of said standing committees, the administrative staff of the City compile preliminary drafts, notes, recommendations, and other materials in which they express their opinions or formulate policies or actions for Council approval (Preliminary Meeting Materials); and
WHEREAS, prior to the meetings of each respective standing committee, such Preliminary Meeting Materials are available only to members of the respective standing committees or as otherwise authorized by the City Code; and
WHEREAS, the City Code specifically authorizes all members of the City Council to participate in the deliberations of each standing committee regardless of such member's membership on a given standing committee; and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds it necessary and expedient that Preliminary Meeting Materials be available to all of its members regardless of their membership on a given standing committee;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Aurora, Illinois, as follows: that the Preliminary Meeting Materials complied for each meeting of the respective standing committees described herein shall be and hereby are made available to all members of the Council regardless of their membership on the standing committees; and further
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Clerk and the Office of the Aldermen shall collaborate to determine the most technically feasible and secure method of providing access to said Preliminary Meeting Materials to all members of the Council; and further
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council specifically intends that all Preliminary Meeting Materials shall be exempt from inspection and copying to the extent authorized by Section 7(f) of the Freedom of Information Act until said materials are publicly cited by the chairperson of the standing committee for which the materials were prepared; and further
BE IT RESOLVED, until such time as the exemptions set forth in Section 7(f) of the Freedom of Information Act are no longer applicable to a particular set of Preliminary Meeting Materials, the materials and the information therein contained shall not be shared or disseminated except as authorized or required by law.