Title
Consider Revising the City Council Call for Review Process to Appeal Board and Commission Decisions by Requiring that Two, Rather Than Just One, City Council Members Initiate a Call for Review and State a Reason for the Appeal. (Councilmember Ezzy Ashcraft)
Body
COUNCIL REFERRAL FORM
Name of Councilmember requesting referral: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft
Date of submission to City Clerk (must be submitted before 6:00 p.m. on the Monday two weeks before the Council meeting requested): February 20, 2017
Council Meeting date: March 7, 2017
Brief description of the subject to be printed on the agenda, sufficient to inform the City Council and public of the nature of the referral:
Consider Revising City Council Call For Review Process To Appeal Board And Commission Decisions By Requiring That Two, Rather Than Just One City Council Members Initiate A Call For Review And State A Reason For The Appeal
Currently, a single Council Member can appeal the decision of a City Board or Commission without stating any reason for doing so. Any member of the public can also appeal Board or Commission decisions, but must first pay a deposit and fee. This financial requirement does not apply to Council Members.
Requiring that two Council Members initiate a Call For Review and state the reason for their appeal would improve the current system where an individual Council Member might feel pressure to accommodate the wishes of constituents, regardless of the merits of an appeal, and without consideration of the financial and time burden an appeal places on applicants and staff.
City Council has heard from members of the public who have expressed concern with the current Call For Review process. In May 2016, Kari Thompson, Past President of the Alameda Chamber of Commerce wrote to the City Council expressing the Chamber Board of Directors' concern with the frequent use of the Call For Review process by individual City Council members, noting that a unilateral request to a...
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