Item A: City Council Process Session

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discussed with the appropriate staff so that the City lobby effort can be coordinated. When writing as an individual, a councilor or the Mayor is free to take any position which he or she feels is appropriate. When it is a point of view different from a Council position, this fact should be included in the letter. Use of City stationery and choice of pronouns shall be left to the discretion of the councilor or the Mayor. The governing principle is to advise the Council or staff when expressing a City position, and to make differences clear when speaking as an individual. 9.02 State/Federal Lobbying The effectiveness of City lobbying in Salem or in Washington, D.C., depends on the clarity of the City’s voice. When councilors or the Mayor represent the City in a lobbying situation, it is appropriate that the councilors or the Mayoravoid expressions of personal dissent from an adopted Council policy. This policy is stated in Resolution No. 4139, Council Policy on Testimony and Funding Applications. A councilor or the Mayor in disagreement with an adopted policy should not be deprived of the right to express such views to the appropriate officials at another time and another place. However, the councilor or the Mayor should feel bound to advise those to whom such disagreement is expressed that it is an individual view and that the Council has taken a different position. 9.03 Attending Conferences, Other Meetings Councilors and the Mayor are encouraged to attend conferences and training sessions which would enhance their skills and knowledge. Any councilor or the Mayor may attend any meeting at which the Council is represented, but only the formally appointed official City Council representative or designated alternate, has the right to vote on matters being considered by the organization or group holding the meeting or conference. Individual councilors or the Mayor may state he or she is representing the City Council if he or she has been formally directed by the City Council to do so. For local intergovernmental bodies or advisory groups, to which an official Eugene City Council representative has been appointed, the representative is to serve as an “instructed delegate,” that is, to represent pertinent adopted city and Council policy. If possible, the Mayor or councilors should inform the other members of the City Council of the matters being considered by intergovernmental bodies, and to the greatest extent possible, seek direction from the City Council on issues directly pertaining to the City of Eugene and adopted city policy. The representative may express his or her own opinion, provided it is identified as such, but when voting or considering matters with policy implications or budgetary considerations, the representative must follow adopted City or Council policy and direction. Participating in state and national groups such as the League of Oregon Cities and the National League of Cities presents the opportunity to enhance skills and knowledge, and are important avenues for the Mayor and councilors to advocate for the members of the community and the city itself. If the Mayor or councilors attend meetings of these organizations, an official voting Eugene City Council Operating Agreements – February 25, 2008 Page 8 of 19