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Minutes June 15-16, 2001City of Denton City Council Minutes June 15 & 16, 2001 The Council convened into the Annual Planning Session of the City of Denton City Council on Friday, June 15, 2001 at 2:30 p.m. at the Marriott Solana, 5 Village Circle, Westlake, Texas. PRESENT: Mayor Brock, Mayor Pro Tem Beasley, Council Members Burroughs, Fulton, McNeill, Redmon, and Phillips ABSENT: None 1, The City Council held a discussion of norms and expectations of City Councilmembers on municipal governance. A discussion facilitated by The Aspen Group, Randy Quinn and Linda Dawson, was held outlining Council's expectations for a successful planning session. 2, The City Council held a discussion regarding building mutual understanding. The Council also received a report and held a discussion on the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, and activities related to the Myers Briggs Indicator and municipal governance. Mr. Quinn and Ms. Dawson facilitated a discussion regarding Myers Briggs Type Indicators and the characteristics of each of the Type Indicators. The discussion provided insight into each of the different type indicators focusing on how each type prefers to receive and process information. The session adjourned for the day at 5:50 p.m. The Council convened into the Annual Planning Session of the City of Denton City Council on Saturday, June 16, 2001 at 8:30 a.m. at the Marriott Solana, 5 Village Circle, Westlake, Texas. h The City Council held a discussion concerning the future of Denton regarding a common vision for the year 2006; issue identification and clarification, and strategic goals and objectives. The City Council discussed the common vision for the next five years and identified seven key issues and strategies that needed to be addressed in order to be successful (Attachment 1). The City Council discussed that to achieve the strategies the Council needed to follow an annual agenda planning schedule that would allow the Council to continue to review, monitor and refine the policies and strategies identified during the planning session (Attachment 2). City of Denton City Council Minutes June 15 & 16, 2001 Page 2 The City Council members also discussed and provided input into covenants for building and maintaining productive and effective relationships and the Council's governing style (Attachment 3). With no further business, the session adjourned at 4:00 p.m. 1 9 51 EULINE BROCK, MAYOR CITY OF DENTON, TEXAS DEPUTY CITY SECRETARY CITY OF DENTON, TEXAS 196 Z uJ 197 ]I 98 199 N © ed) ~ 2' 0 0 0 ~ 2.01 2O2 o~,ml · · · · · · 2O3 204 0 © 2 05 206 ~ ~ 0 o E~ ~ 0 c~ 207' 208 · · · · · Annual Agenda Planning To accomplish its stated objectives, the Council will adopt and follow an annual agenda that schedules continuing review, monitoring and refinement of its policies, linkage meetings with identified citizen and staff groups, and activities to improve Council performance through education, enriched input and deliberation. Accordingly: The planning cycle will begin each year in in order that administrative decision-making and budgeting can be based on accomplishing the next one-year segment of the Council's most recent statement of long term benefits for the citizens. 2. The planning cycle will start with the Council's development of its agenda for the next year, and will include: a. Scheduled linkage discussions and consultations with selected groups and persons whose insights and opinions will be helpful to the Council; Education discussions on governance matters, including orientation of new members in the Council's governance process, and periodic discussions by the Council about means to improve its own process; c. Scheduled review of all policies. Throughout the year the Council will attend to consent agenda items as expeditiously as possible. An item may be removed from the consent agenda for separate consideration upon a majority vote of the Council. 2.10 Council Member Covenants In order to build and maintain productive and effective relationships, Council members shall maintain a system of communication and interaction that builds upon mutual respect and trust. Accordingly, members will: 1. exercise honesty in all written and interpersonal communication 2. demonstrate respect for the opinions of others 3. focus on issues rather than on personalities 4. maintain focus on common goals 5. communicate in a timely manner 6. respect majority decisions of the Council 7. withhold judgment on issues until fully informed; listen for understanding with goal of consensus 8. criticize privately, praise publicly 9. maintain appropriate confidentiality 10. give direction as the whole, not as individuals 11. make every reasonable effort to protect the integrity and promote the positive image of the City and one another 12. agree to disagree agreeably 13. assume and practice trust Members will not: 1. embarrass each other or the City 2. intentionally mislead or misinform each other 3. maintain hidden agendas 4. undermine majority decisions of the Council 5. assume responsibility for resolving operational problems or complaints 6. dominate conversations 211 Policy Type: Governance Process Governing Style The Council will govern with emphasis on organizational vision rather than on inter- personal issues of the Council; encourage diversity in viewpoints; focus on strategic leadership rather than administrative detail; observe clear distinction between Coun- cil and staff roles; make collective rather than individual decisions; exhibit future ori- entation rather than past or present; and govern proactively rather than reactively. Accordingly: The Council will cultivate a sense of group responsibility. The Council, not the City Manager, will be responsible for governing with excellence. The Council will use the expertise of individual members to enhance the ability of the Coun- cil as a body, but will not substitute judgments of individual members for the Council's collective values. The Council will work in partnership with the Man- ager and staff. The Council will hold itself accountable for governing with excellence. This self-discipline will apply to matters such as attendance, preparation for meet- ings, adherence to policymaking principles, respect of roles, and ensuring ef- fective governance capability into the future. The Council will direct, control and inspire the City through the careful estab- lishment of written policies reflecting the Council's values and perspectives. The Council's major policy focus will be on the intended long-term benefits for the citizens, not on the administrative or programmatic means of attaining those benefits. o Continuous Council development will include orientation of new members in the Council's governance process and periodic discussion and evaluation of proc- ess to assure continued improvement. 5. The Council will allow no officer, individual or committee to hinder or be an ex- cuse for the Council's not fulfilling its commitments. The Council will monitor its process and performance at each meeting through a debriefing process. Self-monitoring will include comparison of actual Council activity and discipline to the standards reflected in its policies.