Putting Your Best Foot Forward at City Council Meetings

Vitaly B. Troyan, PE, PWLF

(w/thanks to John Ostrowski)

Council Relations

Before the Council Meeting

During the Council Meeting

After the Council Meeting

Council Relations

Before the Council Meeting

During the Council Meeting

After the Council Meeting

Know your Council Members

Know their interests!

All Kinds of interests!

The sincere desire to improve local government

A commitment to those who got them elected

An ego - the love of power and position

The desire to “clean out city hall”

The need to save the environment

The belief that City Hall wastes money

Inside a Council Person

Deeply held beliefs Development and property rights

How the County/City’s money is spent

Who should do the County/City’s work

Susceptible to outside opinion, parties

Perceptions are often reality

Want to do a good job

Do these become criteria for evaluating your requests?

Get Members Involved Early

Discuss your issue

Make your recommendation

Get their reaction and input

Follow up with refined solution that includes their input

Individual, Study Session, Council Committee

Now you’re ready for the Council meeting!

Remember the Brown Act

“All meetings of the legislative body of a local agency shall be open to the public, and all persons shall be permitted to attend any meeting of the legislative body of a local agency, except as otherwise provided in this chapter.”

So don’t

Brief a majority of Council or committees

Have “serial meetings”/briefings

Try to get around rules by briefing staff

Council Relations

Before the Council Meeting

During the Council Meeting

Adjourn to local watering hole

The Meeting Environment

The Meeting Environment

Council Agenda

Closed session

Public comment/presentations

Consent calendar

Public hearings

Other agenda items

Who’s at the Meeting?

It’s an “open public meeting” meaning

Council Members

City Staff

Residents

Business Interests

Media

… are all present.

Council Meeting “Drivers” Council wants to make decisions that

please voters

Members normally want to maintain good relations with other Council members

A majority are needed to act

They don’t like being publicly embarrassed

Council wants to look good in the press

It’s their meeting, not yours

Are these criteria for Council decisions?

Who Wants What?

Citizens want: The other guy to pay

A pristine environment

Less change

Regulate the other guy

How does Council react to this difference?

PW wants: More money

Use environmental resources

Change Policy

Regulate when needed

Council Decisions

Easy Decisions

Saying No to Staff

Saying Yes to voters

Giving money to good causes

Asking for more information

Hard Decisions

Saying No to citizens

Raising fees and taxes

Choosing among competing interest

How do you deal with this?

Your Council Presentation

The art of getting to YES

Or at least a MAYBE

Definitely not a NO

First consideration

Do you have the votes?

“You have 3 of the 5 votes; do you want to go for two?”

Who are you trying to covince?

Who does the talking?

Department head?

Subject matter expert?

Leader and tag team?

Who has the best chance of “selling” your proposal?

Your Presentation Outline

Opening Introduce yourself

Subject and action (Why are you here?)

Body Background

Why action is needed

Previous Council involvement

Conclusion Recommended action

Questions?

Supporting Testimony

Your Technology Use

Know the room and the audience

Know the equipment

Nothing worse than a breakdown

Get training on color, size and format

Practice

Your Council Memo

Specified format

Simple and brief

Avoid jargon, acronyms and emotional words

Anticipate and answer questions

Make the recommendation

Have an alternative recommendation in your pocket!

Your Council Visuals

Use only when necessary or helpful

Must connect with your audience

Pictures, charts and graphs are best

Keep them simple

One slide = one message

Three simple charts for projects

Sample: Project Benefits

Sample: Project Cost

Planned Vs. Actual Costs

$-

$200,000.00

$400,000.00

$600,000.00

$800,000.00

$1,000,000.00

$1,200,000.00

$1,400,000.00

$1,600,000.00

$1,800,000.00

January February March April May June July August

Planned

Actual

Planned Vs. Actual Costs

$-

$200,000.00

$400,000.00

$600,000.00

$800,000.00

$1,000,000.00

$1,200,000.00

$1,400,000.00

$1,600,000.00

$1,800,000.00

January February March April May June July August

Planned

Actual

Your Citizen Support

Invite citizens to attend (caution)

Let Council know they are there

Give them a chance to testify

Citizen testimony often sways a Council decision!

Council Relations

Before the Council Meeting

During the Council Meeting

After the Council Meeting

Debrief

Lost Their Support Didn’t know they opposed it

You surprised them

It wasn’t their idea

No citizen support

They weren’t important –you were

They solved your problem

Got Their Support

Involved members early

Met their needs

Knew how they would vote

Had citizen support

Council felt important

You made them look good

Solved your own problem

Council Support

You have support when:

Its their idea, not yours

They want to talk about it

They want it as badly as you do

They become activists for it

They argue for it

They vote for it!

Questions?