SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – It has been a challenging year for the South Lake Tahoe City Council. There is an ongoing investigation into former mayor Tamara Wallace’s admitted embezzlement from a local church and the departure of a seasoned city manager. The current mayor is facing misdemeanor charges of his own, though he is fighting them with a trial starting this summer.
Besides these major hurdles, there have been problems with evening meetings going long into the night, prolonged debates on agenda items, arguments with the public and other councilmembers during meetings, and catering to small segments of the community, all leading to a disconnected public.
I have talked to dozens of people in the community who are as dismayed as I am, and are seeking a change in behaviors during city council meetings.
The March 31 special City Council meeting had to be postponed, but the topic comes back in May. It will be addressing updates to city council protocols and ethics policy. Hopefully it addresses respect as well – respect for the process, respect for collegues, respect for the public, respect for roles.
Decorum during meetings needs to be addressed, both for those on the dias and those in the audience. There is no room for side comments while others are talking, yelling from the dias to the audience, and vice versa. It needs to be shut down the moment it starts.
The last South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting went long, very long. As is the norm of late, the council cannot finish its agenda before the 10 p.m. deadline. It was well after 11 p.m., with some staff members not making it home until midnight or later, then having to be back to work first thing the next morning. All meetings are to be finished by 10 p.m. unless a majority of the Council approves a continuation.
I don’t think anyone wants to participate in such a long meeting, especially if it’s become uncomfortable to listen to. Councilmembers need to speak respectfully to each other, to the public, to others in leadership, and demand the same back. The public can be removed if they don’t follow the rules. If a councilmember doesn’t do the same? There are recalls and censure.
I believe that we cannot go one more meeting without addressing decorum in a new ethics policy and updated protocols.
An agency usually has three goals for adopting an ethics code: (1) Encouraging high standards of behavior by public officials; (2) Increasing public confidence in the institutions that serve the public; and (3) Assisting public officials with decision-making. An ethics policy should require the electeds to model civility, invite and respect public input, recognize that elected officials and city staff are on the same team in service to the community, promote clear communication, work collaboratively, consider the larger picture in decision-making and actions, and be accountable for actions and words.
Public meeting decorum requires attendees to be respectful, courteous, and orderly, ensuring equitable access to the democratic process. Standard rules include addressing remarks to the mayor, adhering to time limits (usually 3 minutes), avoiding personal attacks or profanity, and banning disruptive demonstrations like cheering, booing, or waving signs.
I would like to see time limits enforced on councilmembers’ comments. City protocol currently gives each councilmember five minutes in order to keep comments concise and effective. The mayor can ask a councilmember to wrap up if they reach the five-minute mark. As it stands, agenda items are lasting an hour or so after public comment. After a motion is made and seconded, more discussion can occur, starting with the person who made the motion.
Of course, we need healthy discussion, but time limits are needed and a lot of what is being said is already contained in staff reports.
Oral comments on the Consent Agenda may not exceed three minutes per item
and not more than six minutes total per speaker on the entire Consent Agenda, not three minutes per item.
The Brown Act must be followed at all times. Discussion from the council cannot be held on comments made during public communications at the beginning of the meeting (non-agendized items).
I respect anyone going into public service, and it is often a thankless job. It is not easy to sit in front of constituents and be held to a high standard. It just doesn’t have to be as hard as it has been.
Bringing an item onto an agenda is done per council’s request besides normal City business, but they should be items the council has control over. Spending 90 minutes debating what should be done on the old recreation center doesn’t make sense since the property is owned by the County. Spending hours on the old Motel 6 property doesn’t make sense since it was owned first by a private party, who sold it to an agency. It wasn’t owned by the City. If there is concern or a desire to check out possibilities, create a committee to investigate and weigh options.
Just as I was finishing this opinion piece, an article was brought to my attention that covers many of these same points – bringing decorum and respect back to city council meetings. For that information, read HERE.