Item 23 - Councilmember-Requested Item Policy

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City Manager’s Office www.santa-ana.org/city-managers-office Item # 23 City of Santa Ana 20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701 Staff Report March 21, 2023 TOPIC: Councilmember-Requested Item Policy AGENDA TITLE Councilmember-Requested Item Policy Informational Report RECOMMENDED ACTION Accept informational report and provide direction to staff. DISCUSSION Background At the August 16, 2022 meeting, Councilmember Phan added the following councilmember requested item: Discuss and Consider Directing Staff to Implement a Process that Will Allow the City Council to More Efficiently and Effectively Present Councilmember Requested Items on the Agenda. There was consensus among the City Council to proceed with this item. City Council Legislative Authority and City Council Meeting Agendas As the legislative body of the City of Santa Ana, the City Council’s role is to legislate—or to set policy. The City Council is empowered to enact local laws, approve programs, appropriate funds, establish local taxes, and approve other local government actions through its legislative authority. This function is primarily carried out through City Council action at regularly scheduled City Council meetings. City Council meetings are guided by an agenda, which consists of items relating to the City of Santa Ana local government. Matters of policy are ordinarily determined by a majority vote of the City Council on each agenda item. In some cases, a two-thirds vote of the City Council is required (e.g. for appropriation adjustments). Under the Council-Manager form of government, under the leadership of the City Council, the City Manager sets the agenda and the City Clerk prepares the agenda. Councilmember-Requested Items Section 411 of the Santa Ana City Charter states, in part, that “any member of the City Council may place items on the City Council agenda to be considered by the City Council”. Councilmember-requested items are discussion items only; the City Council