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Ms. Shepard asked if there was council agreement on making amendments to an amendment. Ms. Solomon <br />clarified that this could only be done once. <br /> <br />Mayor Piercy said that in most cases she would honor motions that were submitted in advance, but she <br />reserved the right to opt not to do so. <br /> <br />Ms. Bettman understood that the council president would put the motion as crafted by staff on the table first <br />and, in the course of the discussion, substitute motions or amendments could be placed on the table. <br />Regarding an amendment to an amendment, she acknowledged that it was within the parameters of Robert’s <br />Rules but she advised the council to be careful what it asked for. She said there had been many times when <br />she wanted to amend an amendment, but it often made a complicated process even more “arcane and <br />complicated.” She averred that it was hard for the public to track what the council was doing as it was. <br /> <br />Mr. Zelenka concurred. He stated that having one issue to consider at a time it made it easier to track. <br /> <br />Mayor Piercy asked if it was the council’s wish to continue with the current practice or to change the <br />practice. <br /> <br />Ms. Shepard ascertained by a show of thumbs up that the majority of the council wished to continue with <br />the current practice. <br /> <br /> <br />4. Other Issues <br /> <br /> <br />Mr. Clark asked what guidelines there were regarding how one councilor spoke regarding other councilors’ <br />opinions and beliefs. <br /> <br />Ms. Ortiz said the guiding rule was that one should treat others as they wanted to be treated. She viewed <br />speaking badly about a councilor as she viewed speaking badly about any other person for any reason. <br /> <br />Ms. Bettman averred that the councilors were more accountable to the public than to one another. She said <br />one could not control the personalities of other people. She noted that when she was asked about the <br />opinions or views of other councilors by a member of the press, she advised them that she did not speak for <br />others. <br /> <br />Mayor Piercy noted that she wanted to make two changes. She intended to read the Consent Calendar aloud <br />at meetings because people in the audience, and especially the television audience, did not always know what <br />was on it. Another change she intended to make was that she planned to ask the council president and vice <br />president to consider placing on the agenda for discussion any bills from the Council Committee on <br />Intergovernmental Relations (CCIGR) that had resulted in a 2:1 vote. She also wanted to discuss the <br />council’s position and how to improve the meeting process. <br /> <br />Ms. Bettman asserted that these were duties and responsibilities that the council officers had “heretofore not <br />enjoyed.” She felt this should be formalized in the process agreement. She believed that the “enhancement” <br />of the duties of the City Council officers was a “big discussion.” She said at present the council officers did <br />not have the authority to block things or place items on the agenda. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />MINUTES—City Council January 10, 2007 Page 9 <br /> Process Session <br /> <br />