Minutes_City Council Proceedings 4 6 21 Copyrighted
April 19, 2021
City of Dubuque Consent Items # 1.
City Council Meeting
ITEM TITLE: Minutes and Reports Submitted
SUMMARY: City Council Proceedings of 4/5 and 4/6; Library Board of Trustees of
2/25; Zoning Advisory Commission of 4/7; Zoning Board of Adjustment
of 3/25; Proof of Publication for City Council Proceedings of 3/22 and
3/24.
SUGGESTED Suggested Disposition: Receive and File
DISPOSITION:
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
City Council Proceedings of 4/5/21 Supporting Documentation
City Council Proceedings of 4/6/21 Supporting Documentation
Library Board of Trustees Minutes of 2/25/21 Supporting Documentation
Zoning Advisory Commission Minutes of 4/7/21 Supporting Documentation
Zoning Board of Adjustment Minutes of 3/25/21 Supporting Documentation
Proof of Publication for City Council Proceedings of Supporting Documentation
3/22/21
Proof of Publication for City Council Proceedings of Supporting Documentation
3/24/21
CITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA
CITY COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS
SPECIAL SESSION
The Dubuque City Council met in special session at 5:00 p.m. on April 6, 2021.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and mandates for social distancing, this meeting was
conducted virtually via GoToMeeting.
Present: Mayor Buol; Council Members Cavanagh, Farber, Jones, Resnick, Roussell,
Sprank; City Manager Van Milligen, City Attorney Brumwell.
Mayor Buol read the call and stated this is a special session of the City Council called
for the purpose of conducting a City Council Governance Session.
WORK SESSION
Governance Session
1. Governance Workshop
Facilitator Lyle Sumek conducted a Governance Workshop with the City Council. Areas
of discussion included:
The City Council discussed the Governance Guide 2020-2021 and reflected on their
progress in the past year.
The City Council reviewed sections of the draft Code of Conduct for City Council:
Policies and Protocol Related to Conduct
• Requiring a name and address for WebQA "Contact the City Council"
submissions;
• When it is appropriate to forward emails from the public to the City Manager.
City Council Conduct With One Another
• Suggestion from the City Council to update the wording for voting decisions to
reflect Council accepting and acknowledging the body's decision;
• Consensus that no cell phones are permitted during the City Council meetings
unless for emergencies;
• Confirmation from City Attorney Brumwell that one-on-one discussions between
City Council members are permitted if they do not lead to serial meetings;
• City Attorney Brumwell stated that closed session items that have been resolved
and are on a City Council public meeting agenda can be discussed in public.
Council Conduct with City Staff
• City Manager Van Milligen confirmed that City Council may attend public
meetings with City staff. It was advised that City Council avoid communicating a
specific viewpoint to City staff at any public meetings;
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Council Conduct with the Public
• City Attorney Brumwell suggested that guidance on Robert's Rules of Order
could be incorporated into the Code of Conduct;
• The City Council agreed on additional wording stating that attendance is
expected for City Council appointments to boards and commissions.
Council Conduct with the Media
• City Attorney Brumwell clarified that it is acceptable for City Council Members
to speak with the media about their perspectives on an agenda item prior to
the City Council meeting. The exception to this is Planned Unit Development
(PUD) zoning items. City Attorney Brumwell stated she will cross-reference
with the lowa Attorney General's Office to confirm there are no current laws
that would contradict the current recommendations.
Council Conduct with Legislators
• City Council Members agreed to incorporate the City's legislative priorities
into this section.
Sanctions
• City Attorney Brumwell will add references to the State Code regarding
parameters if a City Council Member is arrested and the process for potential
recall elections.
Social Media Guidance
• City Council Members questioned if Facebook comments should be included
on their Facebook pages. City Attorney Brumwell stated that if City Council
Members have Facebook pages that are solely utilized for their roles as
Council Members, then comments on the page must be permitted. City
Attorney Brumwell offered to review any City Council Member's Facebook
page to identify how the page is currently utilized and offer guidance on the
comments function;
• City Attorney Brumwell recommended City Council Members have separate
Facebook pages for campaigning and for general City Council representation
to avoid issues with campaign finance laws and ethics;
• City Attorney Brumwell stated that she will conduct additional research on
recommendations for Facebook pages of former City Council Members that
reference their former Council service on their page.
Responding to a question from the City Council, City Attorney Brumwell stated that
she will conduct additional research on guidelines for City Council endorsements of
political candidates
The Code of Conduct will be updated by City Attorney Brumwell based on the City
Council's feedback from the meeting, with additional research conducted on the areas
discussed.
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There being no further business, Mayor Buol declared the meeting adjourned at 7:49
p.m.
Adrienne N. Breitfelder
City Clerk
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