Study Session Memo

City of Boulder City Council Study Session Summary Meeting Date: November 6, 2025 Agenda Title Consideration of a motion to accept the September 25th, 2025, Study Session Summary regarding City Council Process Improvement Working Group Updates.

Staff Contact • • •

Megan Valliere, City Council Program Manager, City Manager's Office Pam Davis, Assistant City Manager, City Manager’s Office Teresa Taylor Tate, City Attorney, City Attorney’s Office

Draft Motion Language Staff requests council consideration of this matter and action in the form of the following motion: Motion to accept the September 25th Study Session Summary regarding City Council Process Working Group Updates.

Presentation Summary During the presentation on this item, staff overviewed status updates for each of the City Council Process Working Group’s 15 priority items. Then, staff sought council feedback on procedure changes related to three items: Declarations, CAC Scheduling Requests, and Hotline Submission Guidelines. Council members can access the full memo from the September 25th study session at this link: September 25th Study Session – City Council Process Working Group Follow-up Memo

Questions for Council and Direction Received Staff asked two questions of council regarding each of the three main process improvement items. Staff asked council to share whether they had questions about each set of recommendations and if they supported those recommendations. Summary of direction received: Declarations Council indicated support for the following declaration procedure recommendations: 1. Maintain current practices regarding: a. Diverting declarations to the council resolution process as outlined in existing council procedure, when appropriate. b. Maintaining the practice of mayoral screening of all declaration requests. c. Continuing to require CAC scheduling requests from council members for declaration readings at regular meetings. 2. Implement procedure changes to: a. Issue all declarations on behalf of the council body, rather than solely by the mayor, after mayoral screening and approval. b. Require declaration requestors to identify declaration recipients when desired for declaration readings. c. Formalize the alphabetical council member reader rotation for declaration readings, with flexibility for requesting to read specific declarations in coordination with the mayor. d. Limit declarations to no more than about 250 words (roughly equal to one page). e. Codify the informal practice of scheduling no more than two declarations for readings per regular council meeting. 3. Move forward with planned administrative recommendations and improvements, including: a. Maintain annual declaration calendar of significant heritage celebrations and commemorations for mayoral screening and provide to council members so that they can request readings if desired. b. Create a declaration intake form for administrative efficiency. CAC Scheduling Requests Council indicated support for the following changes to council procedure regarding CAC Scheduling Requests: 1. Limit discussion of CAC requests each Monday to only those submissions received by the prior Thursday at 11:59 pm, with explicit exceptions for

emergency situations that warrant CAC discussion without the standard advance notice expected for non-emergency CAC requests. 2. Formally codify criteria by which CAC review scheduling requests such that CAC prioritizes scheduling for items that align with council workplan priorities and are time sensitive. 3. Create a mechanism by which CAC can recommend alternative scheduling options for requests such as lunch and learns, site visits, field trips, and other informational/educational sessions. 4. Establish a CAC appeal process by which council members may appeal a CAC scheduling decision. Council discussed limiting appeals to one appeal per issue per person per term to minimize the possibility of protracted appeal process. The appeal would only apply to a CAC decision not to schedule an item or to divert an item to an alternative scheduling option such as a lunch and learn or site visit. Hotline Submission Guidelines Council indicated support for the following Hotline submission recommendations: 1. Undertake a procedural cleanup to update the Sunday deadline for questions submitted to staff via Hotline to Tuesday. This change reflects the recent shift from Tuesday evening council meetings to Thursday evening council meetings. 2. For Hotlines that contains questions on which council members are expecting a written response, limit Hotline submissions to single subjects for ease of staff coordination. This recommendation does not place a limitation on the number of Hotline emails that council members may submit, only the number of topics per submission requesting a written response. 3. Codify in council procedure the current Council Handbook guidelines for Hotline, including consideration of staff time required to address Hotline questions, process to ensure compliance with open meeting laws, and a description of the fundamental purpose and intent of Hotline.

Next Steps for City Council Staff will bring forward a consent agenda item for council review that updates council procedure in alignment with guidance staff received at the September 25th study session. Council members can expect to see this item on a consent agenda prior to the end of this council term.

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