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TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: The Law Department
DATE: September 2, 2020
SUBJECT:
Identification of categories business items which are suitable for consideration as consent items on City Council agendas.
PURPOSE:
To define categories of items of "routine business" which may be placed on the consent agenda of City Council meetings without prior review by the standing committees.
BACKGROUND:
Following a discussions by the Rules, Administration, and Procedures Committee and the Committee of the Whole this summer, the City Council on August 11, adopted an ordinance that permits the Mayor to place items belonging to certain categories of business on the City Council's consent agenda that do not ordinarily require previous consideration by the Council's standing committees or the Committee of the Whole. The ordinance did not identify which categories of business were eligible for this expedited consideration, but provided that the Council had the authority to define those categories by resolution at a later time.
DISCUSSION:
Recognizing that expedited consideration of Council business represents an exception rather than rule, the City's administrative staff recommends that the Council take a conservative approach in defining categories of items eligible for this new process. Because the Council can always amend its procedures to define new categories in the future, it is not necessary to identify every possible category at this time. Similarly, since this process affords any alderman the right to have an item removed from the consent agenda, the risk of being "overly inclusive" on with this initial approach is not particularly high. To that end, the staff recommends the Council authorize the following categories of business for expedited consideration.
- Ordinances proposing or establishing special service areas when the special service areas are required by the Kane County Stormwater Management Ordinance and the City has the written consent of the property's owners. (Commonly knowns as "dormant special service areas");
- Approval of meeting minutes;
- Acceptance of public improvements and maintenance security required of developers;
- Reduction or waivers of maintenance securities posted by developers; and
- Approvals of dedications, easements, or vacations of real property and plats containing the same.
The RAP Committee also considered whether approval of the bi-weekly bills list was appropriate for "direct-to-consent" consideration at its meeting of August 18, 2020, but ultimately elected not to include among the category of eligible items.
IMPACT STATEMENT:
If approved, this resolution will significantly shorten the time required to obtain Council approval of truly routine items allow the standing committees and the Committee of the Whole to devote greater time at their meetings to items that more extended deliberation.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the Council approve this Resolution.
cc: Rules, Administration, and Procedures Committee
CITY OF AURORA, ILLINOIS
RESOLUTION NO. _________
DATE OF PASSAGE ________________
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A Resolution pursuant to Sec. 2-101(a) of the Code of Ordinances, City of Aurora, pertaining to categories of business authorized for placement on the consent agenda.
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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, Section 3.1-40-40 of the Illinois Municipal Code authorizes city councils by unanimous consent to take a single vote by yeas and nays on the several questions of the passage of any 2 or more of the designated ordinances, orders, resolutions, or motions placed together for voting purposes in a single group; and :
WHEREAS, Section 2-101 of the Code of Ordinances, City of Aurora, authorizes the use of consent agendas during the proceedings of the City Council; and
WHEREAS, Section 2-101(a) provides that the City Council may by resolution determine that matters belonging to specific categories of topics do not ordinarily require previous consideration by a standing committee or by the committee of the whole and which do not ordinarily require council deliberation prior to adoption; and
WHEREAS, the City Council has identified specific categories of topics that are presumptively appropriate for inclusion on its consent agendas and said categories are set forth in Exhibit A to this Resolution.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Aurora, Illinois, as follows: that the categories of topics set forth in Exhibit A of this Resolution shall be and hereby are determined to not ordinarily require previous consideration by a standing committee or by the committee of the whole and which do not ordinarily require council deliberation prior to adoption; and further
BE IT RESOLVED, that matters belonging to the categories set forth in Exhibit A may be placed upon the consent agenda for consideration by the City Council, provided that each matter so appearing be conspicuously identified on the agenda as a "Direct to Council Consent" item.