Agenda - Item 3 - Policy on Board Petitions and Board Members Requests to Staff

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ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: May 24, 2018 Action Agenda Item No. 3 SUBJECT: Policy on Board Petitions and Board Members’ Requests to Staff DEPARTMENT: Manager ATTACHMENT(S): Guidelines for Commissioner Requests for Information from County Staff INFORMATION CONTACT: Bonnie Hammersley, 245-2300 PURPOSE: To discuss the Board’s process for addressing petitions made by Board members at regular meetings and requests that individual Board members may make to staff for reports, research data and/or information outside of regular Board meetings. BACKGROUND: At the Board of Commissioners’ March 20, 2018 regular meeting, a petition was submitted that the Board review its policy on Board petitions, requests from a single Board member, and the staff time commitment associated with the request. Members of the Board of Commissioners voice petitions for information, reports to be developed, letters to be written, etc. as part of regular Board meetings. The Manager documents these petitions and then reviews them with the Board Chair and Vice Chair for any additional information, concerns, and direction. The Manager then directs the subject matter to the appropriate County staff for follow-up, and the designated staff member(s) sends an acknowledgement to the entire Board confirming that the matter is being addressed. The staff member(s) subsequently reports back to the full Board with conclusions, outcomes, or other information with a presentation at a Board meeting, an Information Item included on a regular meeting agenda, and/or via email. Members of the Board may also individually, or in conjunction with other members of the Board, be in contact with County staff outside of Board meetings and make requests to staff for information, reports to be developed, letters to be written, etc. Staff members move forward to address those requests and subsequently report back to the Board member(s) with conclusions, outcomes, or other information. Staff sharing the results sometimes occurs with a presentation at a Board meeting, an Information Item including on a regular meeting agenda, and/or via email. It also sometimes occurs only with the individual Board member or those members who joined in the request. In both instances above, the petitions and requests have an impact on staff responsibilities, priorities, and time. To address this concern, the Board of Commissioners adopted the attached “Guidelines for Commissioner Requests for Information from County Staff” in 2002. The Guidelines provide a framework to assess requests and a review process, especially as it relates to established priorities and duties and the staff time required to address a request. The process entails the Manager and the Board Chair reviewing the request and addressing any concerns identified. 1