Loading...
2013-10-22 Committee on Citizen Engagement Minutes COMMITTEE ON CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT MINUTES October 22, 2013 After determining that a quorum was present, the Committee on Citizen Engagement convened in a meeting on October 22, 2013, at 3:08 p.m. in the Council Work Session Room at City Hall. PRESENT: Council Member Roden, Council Member Gregory, Council Member Engelbrecht, George Campbell (CMO), Betty Williams (CMO), Bryan Langley (ACM), John Cabrales (ACM), Lindsey Baker (CMO), Kevin Gunn (Tech Services), Abra Nusser (Planning), Brian Lockley (Planning), Katia Boykin (Planning), Lancine Bentley (Community Improvement), Alison Ream (CMO), Chuck Springer (Finance), Steve Poston (Legal), Anita Burgess (Legal), Tonya Demerson (Reprographics) 1.Council Member Roden called the meeting to order 2.The Committee considered approval of the minutes from the meeting of July 10, 2013. Council Member Gregory motioned to approved minutes; Council Member Engelbrecht seconded. Minutes approved. The following item was considered out of order: 3.The Committee received a report and held a discussion regarding the language used in the written communications (notices of violation and thank you letters for voluntary compliance) issued by the City’s Community Improvement Services Division. Lancine Bentley, Community Improvement Services Manager presented information regarding notices of violation. Bentley discussed the samples provided in the backup and distributed revisions that had been developed after the backup was distributed. Council Member Roden asked how often was action taken to place liens on property. Bentley stated that only 1,000 citations were written last year. Council Member Gregory questioned why the use of lien information was included on the first notice at the beginning of the process. Cabrales commented that the information regarding liens on property was a legal requirement. Violators are notified once by mail and by personal posting and delivery. Steve Poston, Assistant City Attorney stated that the information had to be within the body of the letter and sent seven days prior to citation. After some additional conversation, the Committee asked Staff to review the language and revise the notices. Bentley also provided samples of thank you letters and discussed the process for mailing. Staff projected the cost for printing and postage to be around $6,100. George Campbell, City Manager, stated that a thank you note could cause confusion if a violator is sent to court later. One recommendation was that a handwritten thank you could be sent at the end of each case. Council Member Roden recommended that the information regarding the updated notices of violation and thank you notes be sent to the entire City Council in an informal staff report. The posted order of the agenda resumed. COMMITTEE ON CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT MINUTES October 22, 2013 Page 2 4.The Committee held a discussion regarding the basics of Open Data and what other cities were doing. Council Member Roden held a discussion regarding open data and provided examples in a hand out. Anita Burgess, City Attorney, stated that some data may not be available and may be protected through Attorney General. There were three categories of public information (1) open, (2) closed, and (3) discretionary. Roden recommended that the staff identify existing open date and existing data that could be made open along with a platform and associated costs for making such open data available to the public for discussion at the next meeting. 5.The discussion regarding the University of North Texas community engagement efforts was tabled. 6.The Committee held a discussion regarding public involvement in the fiscal year 2014/15 budget process. Council Member Roden requested the timeline for the budget process. Chuck Springer, Director of Finance, discussed the budget planning process and timeline. Roden stated that staff had already worked through the process once the budget gets to Council. Springer stated that information and direction was provided from Council during the January retreat and citizen surveys also provided input. George Campbell, City Manager, stated that the budget tied back to the strategic plan set by Council which also tied to the community priorities. Issues had to be vetted and could take 2- 3 years or more to implement. Betty Williams, Director of Administrative Services, stated that some basic information was available online. Roden suggested that he and staff research what citizen engagement efforts other cities were doing and report back at the next meeting. 7.Management Report a.Topic Matrix Update - Updated information was provided in the backup. b.Public Communications – Information regarding the Public Communication budget and responsibilities was provided in backup. 8.The Committee held a discussion to set the next meeting date and topics for discussion. Williams stated that she would check schedules for the next meeting date and include open data, UNT engagement efforts, and the FY 14/15 budget as topics for discussion. 9.With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:50 p.m.