This would allow City Council to call an executive session if 2/3 of the members present vote to do so. 2B limits the sensitive matters which could be discussed at the meeting. No final action would be allowed in executive sessions. (In 2003 voters approved 53% to 47% a different Ballot Issue 2B to permit "a committe of two council members and any number of other persons to screen applications, evaluate performance, and consider discipline for the city manager, city attorney, and municipal court judge positions in private, so long as council takes action on committee recommendations in a public meeting.")
Recommendation: lean against
For a group of 9 members, I would normally be in favor of allowing occasional executive sessions, but since, at last count, 2/3 of the council members weren’t in favor of sending this to ballot and there seems to be passionate opposition to this amendment, in part because of the wording, I’m leaning against supporting this measure.
Ballot Question No. 2B (Approved Ballot Language)
City Council Executive Sessions
Shall Section 9 of the Charter be amended pursuant to Ordinance No. 7600 in order to allow city council to meet in executive session to discuss sensitive matters where premature disclosure would be contrary to the public interest?
Executive sessions will only be held in conformity with locally enacted procedural rules that are at least as restrictive as those set forth in the laws of the state of Colorado and only upon a 2/3 vote of council members present at a meeting. No final action will be allowed at executive sessions.
The only subjects that will be discussed in executive sessions are:
(1) Confidential issues associated with the purchase, acquisition, lease, transfer or sale of property;
(2) Confidential legal advice;
(3) Confidential security matters or investigations;
(4) Confidential issues relating to ongoing negotiations and negotiating strategy; or
(5) Hiring and personnel matters pertaining to one of the council’s three employees, so long as the subject council employee is able to require that the discussion be held in public.
For the Measure ____ Against the Measure ____
FYI --The council's three employees are the City Manager, the City Attorney and the Municipal Judge.
See Section 9.
http://www.colocode.com/boulder2/charter_articleII.htm
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How did this get onto the ballot if most of the city council members were against this?
ReplyDeleteThe measure first got on the ballot by an 8-1 vote with Crystal Gray voting against going to ballot. Then later Lisa Morzel wanted to pull it from the ballot. Three other people supported Lisa so one can conclude that only 5 of the 9 city council members now support having the measure on the ballot.
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