Subject:
Title
Consent Agenda Possibilities
Body
BACKGROUND SUMMARY:
Councilmember Pasha Majdi has asked Town staff to develop consent agenda options for use during Town Council meetings.
OVERVIEW:
The Town Attorney has offered the following comments:
“We have had matters put on a consent agenda in the past and my only legal suggestion is that we always do the initial award of a contract (through the IFB or RFP procedures) as single agenda item. I have no legal objection to the renewal of contracts being on a consent agenda and many of our Town contracts do have renewal options. The area that is a little gray is when we ride another jurisdiction’s contract for the purchase of goods or services. Technically the contract has already gone through the competitive purchase procedures and was already awarded. The Town is just utilizing that contract and the TC is just authorizing the expenditure of funds. I have no legal objection to including those items in a consent agenda if the procurement officer has no objections and I have included Gina on this email response. The procurement items do take up a lot of space on the TC Agendas at the end of the fiscal year and if the departments coordinate the contract renewals, they could easily be aggregated to a consent agenda item. However, a TC member can always make a motion to pull one or more item out of a consent agenda so it can be discussed and voted on separately.”
SUMMARY/STAFF IMPRESSIONS:
Attached documentation demonstrates how Fairfax City, Town of Herndon, and City of Falls Church utilize the consent agenda process. Fairfax County does not use a consent agenda process. Also attached is an example of what staff would recommend be placed on a consent agenda for the December 9, 2019 Town Council meeting, if the Town utilized this process.
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommended Action
I recommend that the Town of Vienna use consent agendas, which would allow for approval of all items contained within the consent agenda with one motion and vote, without discussion. Any single item included in the consent agenda item may be removed by one Town Councilmember and voted upon as an individual item. The following is a list of the types of items for which consent agendas may be utilized:
1. Renewal of contracts
2. Instances when the Town is riding another jurisdiction’s contract, with the approval of the Finance Director and Town Attorney
3. Resolutions
4. Setting of public hearings
5. Approval of agreements (as appropriate)
6. Approval of memorandums of understanding (as appropriate)
7. All purchases (as appropriate)
8. Appointments to boards and commissions (we currently do this with a motion coming out of closed session)
9. Proclamations
10. Minor authorizations for the Town Manager or Mayor to sign documents
11. Minor policy changes (like adding a holiday, etc.)