City Council Subcommittee Guidelines

Introduction

The purpose of these guidelines are two-fold:

1. To provide clarity and ensure alignment with the Mayor and City Council members.
2. To provide guidance and direction to staff who are serve as a subcommittee liaison and are responsible for managing a City Council subcommittee.

The City is required under the Brown Act to comply with regulations regarding public meetings, including standing subcommittees.

There are two types of City Council Subcommittees; standing committee and ad hoc committees.

1. Standing Subcommittees
   • Standing committee are subject to the Brown Act because they have either (1) continued subject matter related to City business, or (2) a fixed meeting schedule set by the City Council in a dually noticed public meeting. Both members of the subcommittee are required to attend the meeting in person.
2. Ad Hoc Subcommittees
   • Ad hoc subcommittees are not subject to the Brown Act because the intention for their convening is for a single or limited purposes and for which the subcommittee will dissolve once the time-limited issue/project is resolved or completed. Ad hoc subcommittees can be held virtually.

Purpose of City Council Subcommittees

The City utilizes subcommittees to prepare the Mayor and City Council members to make well informed policy decisions at a future dually noticed public meeting. These subcommittees are designed for staff subject matter experts to brief two members of the City Council with detailed technical information and respond to their questions. Subcommittee meetings provide an opportunity for staff to present proposed projects and/or policies that will be coming before the entire body of the City Council and receive early feedback from the subcommittee members before finalizing staff’s recommendation to the full Council.

Each calendar year, the City Clerk and City Attorney will review the scope of each committee to determine or reaffirm the committee’s scope, continuing subject matter (if any), and whether the original intention of the committee has been met.

City Council Subcommittees – 2025

Staff Liaison Role and Responsibilities

Each subcommittee has a designated staff liaison(s). In most cases, this will be the department director or manager responsible for the subcommittee’s topic area, as described below.

Staff liaisons are responsible for scheduling the subcommittee meetings, ensuring the publicly noticed meeting agendas are posted with 72-hour notice, setting the meeting agenda, preparing meeting materials, sending the agenda and meeting materials to the subcommittee, facilitating the meeting, setting the regular meeting schedule, and following up with the subcommittee to address any outstanding questions.

Guidance for Staff City Council Subcommittee Liaisons:

Councilmember Feedback and Direction

• Subcommittee meetings can be utilized by staff to present several recommended actions, or policy alternatives, and ask specific questions to solicit feedback from the subcommittee members before finalizing the staff recommendation to bring to the full City Council.

Preparation for a Council Subcommittee Meeting:

• Staff’s draft recommendations should be 80-90% developed and reviewed by the City Manager prior to the subcommittee meeting being scheduled.
• If you are unsure about whether something is ready to present to a subcommittee, connect with the Director, City Manager and/or Assistant City Managers for guidance.
• Send the draft agenda and any meeting materials to the City Manager at least five business prior to posting the meeting agenda.
• Keep in mind that these meetings are not “working meetings” and not intended to be a problem-solving space where detailed operational issues are discussed; they are formal meetings with Council members to present information and solicit their feedback.

Meeting Scheduling

• Lidia Que is available to help with coordinating Mayor/Councilmember/City Manager/Assistant City Manager availability for non-Brown Act Subcommittee meetings.
• Brown Act Subcommittees should have a regular meeting schedule that is posted on the City’s website. Please coordinate with the City Manager when setting this schedule.
• All subcommittee meetings are to be held in person, with the ability for the public to watch online. Council members must attend in-person for standing Brown Act committees.
  • For standing and ad hoc subcommittees, schedule a conference room and include a virtual meeting link (see below) in case a staff member, consultant, or Council member (ad hoc meetings only) needs to participate virtually.

Zoom vs. Teams for Meetings

• Brown Act meetings need to include a Zoom meeting link. Please coordinate directly with the City Clerk’s Office to receive the link. Brown Act meetings must be recorded, and Zoom is the tool we use to accomplish this outside of the Council Chamber.
• Ad-Hoc Subcommittee meetings can utilize Teams via your own account.

Agenda Development & Meeting Materials

• Work with the City Manager/Assistant City Managers on potential agenda items.
• Agendas must be approved by the City Manager prior to distribution.
  • Please allow five days prior to posting for the City Manager to review agendas and related materials.
• Presentation materials need to include key information, points, and questions for the subcommittee to consider.
• For Standing Brown Act Subcommittees, do not include agenda items or discussions that are intended to be privileged and confidential.

Agenda Distribution

• Agendas must be emailed to subcommittee members and added to the Outlook calendar appointment at least 72-hours prior to the meeting. Please work with the City Clerk’s Office to physically post all Brown Act meeting Agendas in the display case outside of City Hall.

Meeting Management

• Staff liaisons or their designees are responsible for facilitating the subcommittee meetings, introducing staff and guests, presenting, and ensuring discussion(s) stay on topic.

Meeting Minutes

• Staff liaisons are also responsible for taking action minutes. Action minutes are concise, summary-style records of a meeting that focus only on the decisions and actions taken rather than documenting the full discussion or deliberation. They typically include:
  • Basic Information: The date, time, location of the meeting, and a list of attendees.
  • Agenda Items: A brief reference to the topics discussed.
  • Actions Taken: A clear record of motions, decisions, or votes, including who made the motion, who seconded it, and the vote outcome (e.g., approved, denied, or tabled).
  • Follow-Up Tasks: Any assignments or next steps agreed upon during the meeting.
  • Public Comments Summary: For Brown Act Boards, a brief note about comments received without detailing individual remarks.
• Where a City Attorney representative attends the meeting for the purpose of legal advice, do not include privileged and confidential information in the meeting minutes.

Annual Review of Committee Scope

• In December of each year, review the scope of the Committee with the City Clerk to determine:
  • What is the Scope?
  • What is the continuing subject matter, if any?
  • Has the original intention of this Committee been met?
  • If ad-hoc, should this be changed to a Brown Act standing committee?

Other Helpful Guidance

• Last Minute Cancellation: Life happens, and sometimes a member of the subcommittee or a key staff member can’t make a meeting they were scheduled to attend. When this happens, please immediately reach out to the City Manager to let them know of the situation and to discuss rescheduling the meeting. Once you have done this, draft a cancellation notice with language explaining the unexpected absence or other situation and that staff will be following up with a rescheduled meeting date in the near term.
  • Both Councilmembers need to be present for a subcommittee meeting. If one cannot make it, then you will need to reschedule for a time that works for the whole committee.

Subcommittee Agenda Template

Click here to access the Subcommittee Agenda Template