City Council Agenda and Packet 2024 01 22 - SP

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of it. So you may end up repelling, not attracting, potential leaders who could make great contributions to the community. Or you may lose great members to "burnout:" Likewise, if your community's developed a reputation for governing body dysfunction, you may not be able to attract and keep the "best and brightest" for key staff positions. So You Think You May be Part of a Dysfunctional Governing Body? You may have experienced some jolts of recognition in reviewing the foregoing. If so, condolences and congratulations! The condolences are self-evident, but congratulations are also due, because recognition of a problem is the first step to dealing with it! So now, what do you do? Here are some steps to consider: • See if you can gain a consensus that there's a problem. Even if you recognize it, if no one else does, you're not going to get anywhere. If there's a consensus, then you're halfway to solving the problem! • Start by talking about "values." In working with CIRSA members experiencing severe governing body dysfunction, I've begun to realize that the "values" discussion is a critical first step. By "values;' I'm talking about the philosophical underpinnings that you want as guides for behavior in your interactions with one another. If you can agree on these values, then additional steps are possible. If you can't, you're going to stall out. Such values might include: • Courtesy and civility towards one another, staff, and citizens? • Non-partisanship? • Equality of participation? This would include equal opportunities to be part of the discussion and decision, and equal opportunities to gain, insofar as possible, the same information at the same time as needed for good decision -making. • Acknowledgement of the role of the Mayor or presiding officer in presiding over meetings? Every meeting needs a presiding officer, and in most communities, that's the Mayor. The role of the presiding officer must be honored if you want to have orderly, productive, and efficient meetings. And, the presiding officer must embrace that responsibility. If there's no acknowledgement of this fundamental need, then you won't get anywhere. • Engagement? This includes a commitment to be prepared for meetings, to arrive on time, to stay for the whole meeting, to give your undivided attention during the meeting, to participate in decision -making, and to be absent no more than necessary. • Others? • Norms or rules of conduct. If you can form a consensus around values, you're close to the point where you can discuss (and, it's hoped, agree upon) the norms or rules of conduct that you want for the body. The content of your norms or rules won't be discussed here, because they'll be specific to your community and the values that serve as the jumping-off point for them. It's worthwhile to look at 14 CHAPTER 2