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Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include information about a new Q&A process proposed to replace the repealed agenda item, if passed, as well as reactions from councilors.
The mayor’s administration and Council President Klarissa Peña have a plan to make the most frustrating and contentious parts of the council meetings more useful and efficient.
Peña introduced an ordinance to repeal rules governing how the administration answers councilor questions, removing deadlines and public posting requirements created under the previous council. It replaces them with a more collaborative, pre-meeting dialogue between councilors and department directors.
Ordinance O‑26‑7 was introduced Jan. 21 and is scheduled for a public hearing Feb. 2 before the City Council.
“We’re not doing away with Q&A,” Peña told City Desk. “All we’re doing is undoing Louis Sanchez’s bill that created a process for Q and A.”
The proposal matters because it changes how councilors obtain information from city leadership and how much of that exchange is visible to the public.
What would change
Peña and other councilors said the current system is burdensome for both the council and the administration and slows their ability to serve constituents.
“The intent of the legislation was good, but the devil’s in the details,” Peña said. “It really became a little burdensome for both sides. This is only going to help foster a good relationship and work more efficiently.”
Under current law, the administration must answer questions submitted at least one business day before a meeting either verbally at the meeting or in writing within one business day. The administration must provide written responses to questions asked during meetings within seven business days.
Councilors would still be able to ask questions during meetings, but the ordinance would remove legal guarantees that responses are timely or publicly available.
Under the proposed new approach, department directors would be available in council chambers from 5:05 to 5:30 p.m. to answer councilors’ questions. Each councilor would be limited to questioning one director until all members have had an opportunity to participate.
Why councilors support the change
Councilor Brook Bassan said people might misunderstand what the ordinance does.
“What this bill is doing is not eliminating administration question and answer from the agenda,” Bassan told City Desk. “It’s eliminating the rules and the time frames.”
“I think it’s going to be better,” Grout said. “When the directors, the experts in those fields, aren’t available to answer questions, it makes it harder to make decisions on legislation and budget items and all of the things we do in our job.”
The ordinance would keep in place requirements that the mayor or a designated representative attend budget hearings and that the city attorney or a designee attend all council meetings.
Councilor Renée Grout said the current process creates frustrating delays.
“We have to go through gov affairs. We’d have to submit them 24 hours in advance,” Grout told City Desk. “Sometimes I didn’t have all my questions ready by Friday at five.”
She said the system has hurt constituent service.
“I used to be able to just call up the director, ask the questions, get the answers and then get right back to the constituent,” Grout said. “But over the last year, it’s been jumping through hoops, and maybe one to two weeks later we would get the answers. That’s not good customer service.”
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