The Bloomington City Council is trying to bring a little more order into how amendments are brought into council votes, attempting to avoid confusion on what's being approved.
A proposal discussed Monday night would provide advanced submission guidelines and timelines to "substantive" amendments. The goal is to clarify exactly what's being voted on, and avoid errors that sometimes have to be corrected weeks later.
"Every time we do this, I have OCD and PTSD watching corporation council ... trying to scramble to get the exact words that we're all spitting," said Ward 4 member John Danenberger.
Council member Sheila Montney agreed.
"I have felt uncomfortable over the months," she said, adding she has sometimes been confused over what wording, exactly, she's voting on, "and that leads to the potential for unintended consequences that we haven't thoughtfully considered as we're crafting that on the floor."
But while council members agreed they need to fix the process, not all agreed with the level of rigidity proposed, such as the requirement that "substantive amendments" must be submitted by noon on the meeting day.
Ward 9 council member Abby Scott said the proposal would make the council the only body in the surrounding area that would not have the ability to make an amendment during a meeting. She also worried it would limit collaboration.
Mollie Ward of Ward 7 agreed.
"I also have deep concerns about this," she said."It not only takes away the opportunity for us to collaborate amongst ourselves as council members, but it takes away the opportunity for us to actually collaborate with the public.”
Cody Hendricks of Ward 6 suggested making the rules informal, as well as making an effort to work better within the Robert’s Rules of Order.
“I do think we need something because it is very messy, very messy at times, and the public is watching, but I don’t know if we need something strictly in stone,” Hendricks said.
Mayor Dan Brady directed staff to consider the council’s input and bring a revised process for a vote on May 26.
"If we don’t understand exactly what we’re voting on, and at the 11th hour changes are being made that cloud the vision of … we’re not doing the service that we’re elected for.” he said.
In other business, the council:
- Voiced unanimous support for adopting a formal ethics policy. The policy presented by the Ethics Committee of Bloomington, a non-governmental body organized by Normal resident and former McLean County Board member Barbara Findley Stuart, lists seven listed pledges to handle civic affairs responsibly, to uphold the spirit of the law and U.S. Constitution, and avoid conflicts of interest. A vote could come at the May 26 meeting.
- Went into executive session to discuss the annual review of City Manager Jeff Jurgens, and to discuss a claim settlement.
