HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-04-06; Non-Agenda Public Comment Email Correspondence (Districts - All); Cobian, SheilaTo the members of the:
CITY COUNCIL
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Council Memorandum
April 6, 2023
To: Honorable Mayor Black urn nd Members of the City Council
From: Sheila Cobian, Director o gi e & Constituent Services
Faviola Medina, City Clerk S f
Via: Scott Chadwick, City Manag.,.r-4H-l,.-
Re: Non-Agenda Public Comme 11 Correspondence (Districts -All)
{city of
Carlsbad
Memo ID# 2023029
This memorandum provides information related to the publishing procedures for City Council
meeting correspondence, more specifically non-agenda public comment email correspondence.
Background
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the city's practice on City Council meeting correspondence was
that only correspondence received by the 2 p.m. deadline and related to a staff report listed on
the agenda was published on the city's website, distributed to the City Council prior to the
meeting and made a part of the permanent record in the city's document repository.
If any routine email correspondence addressed to the City Council not relating to a staff report
was received in the City Clerk's internet email box, that correspondence was distributed solely to
the City Council members, for their awareness. If a member of the public wanted to make non-
agenda public comments at a City Council meeting on matters not on the agenda, they would
need to attend the meeting in person to provide their comments to ensure a summary was
reflected in the meeting's minutes and video recording.
Discussion
During the transition to virtual meetings because of the COVID-19 pandemic, members of the
public could no longer attend an in-person meeting to provide their non-agenda public
comments. As a result, staff made a temporary accommodation to allow non-agenda public
comments received via email to be treated similarly as correspondence related to the staff
reports listed on the agenda. Staff began publishing non-agenda public comment email
correspondence on the city's website and distributing it to the City Council in the same manner
as staff report-related correspondence.
At the February 8, 2022, City Council Virtual Meeting, the City Council voted to direct staff to
resume in-person meetings beginning March 1, 2022. On February 28, 2023, the Governor
issued a proclamation terminating the state's COVID-19 State of Emergency order.
Legislative & Constituent Services
City Clerk Services
1200 Carlsbad Village Drive I Carlsbad, CA 92008 I 442-339-2808 t
Council Memo -Non-Agenda Public Comment Email Correspondence {Districts -All)
April 6, 2023
Page 2
Now that all meetings of the City Council, Boards, Commissions and Committees are being held
in person, with the opportunity at each regular meeting for members of the public to provide
non-agenda public comments, staff will be returning to the pre-pandemic process for soliciting
comments.
Any email correspondence that is received and does not directly relate to a staff report on the
agenda will be forwarded to the appropriate recipients, but will not be added to the city's
agenda materials.
Next Steps
Effective immediately, staff will resume the city's previous practice relating to meeting
correspondence and no longer publish correspondence not related to a staff report on the city's
website. This type of correspondence will only be distributed to the City Council and any other
specified recipients for their awareness.
cc: Geoff Patnoe, Assistant City Manager
Cindie McMahon, City Attorney
Laura Rocha, Deputy City Manager, Administrative Services
Gary Barberio, Deputy City Manager, Community Services
Paz Gomez, Deputy City Manager, Public Works