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SARATOGA CITY COUNCIL
MEETING DATE: May 19, 2010 AGENDA ITEM:
DEPARTMENT: City Attorney CITY MANAGER: Dave Anderson
PREPARED BY: Richard Taylor DIRECTOR: Richard Taylor
SUBJECT: City Council and Commissions’ Electronic Communications Policy
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Adopt a resolution establishing a City Council and Commissions’
Electronic Communications Policy.
REPORT SUMMARY:
Last July the City Council approved on a trial basis an Electronic Communications Policy for the
City Council and the Planning Commission. The attached resolution would adopt the trial policy, with
one revision, as the policy applicable to the City Council and to all City Commissions except the Youth
Commission. The staff report for the trial Electronic Communications Policy is attached as Attachment
B and explains the content and rationale for the policy.
During the trial period only one issue regarding the policy was brought to staff’s attention.
Section III.G of the policy prohibits Council members and Commissioners from using E-communications
during Council/Commission meetings. There is concern that this would preclude Council members and
Commissioners from receiving phone calls or text messages from family members in the event of an
urgent family matter. To address this concern the policy has been revised to allow receipt of calls or text
messages from family members in the event of an urgent matter. The following text has been added to
section III.G:
The foregoing limitation shall not apply to receipt of telephone calls or text messages
from family members in the event of an urgent family matter; a Council member or
Commissioner wishing to respond to such a message during the meeting shall do so
during a recess or shall excuse him or herself from the meeting to place the return call or
text in a manner that does not disrupt the meeting.
The only other changes to the policy are those needed to make it applicable to all other City
Commissions other than the Youth Commission. The Youth Commission is not included because the
size of its membership and the nature of its operations would make it difficult to apply the policy in its
entirely to Youth Commission members. The Youth Commission liaison will work with the Commission
to ensure that they follow the policy to extent practicable.
FISCAL IMPACTS: None significant. There will be some staff time involved in establishing user
accounts for all Commissioners and in Commissioner training but these costs will be offset in the long
run through more effective recordkeeping.
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FOLLOW UP ACTION: Commission liaisons and staff will work with the Commissioners to establish
e-mail accounts, conduct training on use of City E-communications systems, and provide copies of the
policy.
ADVERTISING, NOTICING AND PUBLIC CONTACT:
This item was posted as a City Council agenda item and was included in the packet made available on the
City’s web site in advance of the meeting. A copy of the agenda packet is also made available at the
Saratoga Branch Library each Monday in advance of the Council meeting and residents may subscribe to
the agenda on-line by opting in at www.saratoga.ca.us.
ATTACHMENTS:
A - City Council and Commission Electronic Communications Policy
B – July 1, 2009 Staff Report on Draft City Council and Commission Electronic Communications Policy