Mahalo for the opportunity to speak to the Council Rules Amendment item this morning. I appreciate your time.
First, I want to again thank Chair Molina for his proposal to amend the Rules to limit the waiver of the standing committee referral requirement to no more than one waiver per Council Member per meeting.
As I mentioned this morning, I respectfully suggest two additional potential amendments to the Council Rules:
1. Require a minimum 14 day waiting period between the introduction of legislation (bills and resolutions having the force and effect of law) and any action to approve the legislation on first reading. A minimum waiting period ensures the public, the media and the Council members adequate time to review any proposed legislation and provides all interested individuals an opportunity to effectively comment on proposed legislation.
2. Establish a firm deadline (72 hours prior) by which supporting documents must be submitted to the board packet for agenda items.
Right now, the Council members often receive supporting documentation either the morning of the meeting or after the meeting has already started. I have read the minutes for several meetings where critical documents central to the agenda item - i.e. Expenditure Reports or copies of the proposed legislation, are not received by the majority of the Council members until after the meeting has started and public testimony on the item has closed. This is absolutely not open government best practices.
For example, last year the Council passed Bill 74 (2020) introduced by CM Rawlins-Fernandez via CC 20-316. The Bill's stated purpose was to improve the ability of smaller nonprofits to apply for and access grant funds. The legislation introduced to the Council on 5.29.2020 established a small grant category ($20,000) and added a new section to the County Code, 3.36.090 Disbursements, that would allow small grant recipients to receive up to 100% of their grant funds upfront. The proposed legislation also eliminated several accountability and reporting requirements for small nonprofits (annual budgets of less than $50,000).
This was the proposed legislation available to the members of the public prior to the start of public testimony at the 6.5.2020 Council meeting. During the actual discussion of this agenda item by the Council, after public testimony had closed, the legislation was amended to eliminate the creation of a small grant category and the language of the new Disbursement section MCC 3.36.090 was changed to allow any grant recipient to receive up to 25% or more of its grant funds upfront. So in the end legislation that was approved had virtually nothing to do with the original stated purpose of the legislation.
In the instance of Bill 74 (2020), if the Council had a minimum 14 day waiting period between the introduction of legislation and any action to approve on first reading, all interested individuals would have had an opportunity to review and intelligently comment on this legislation prior to the vote to approve it on first reading.
Good Afternoon Council Members,
Mahalo for the opportunity to speak to the Council Rules Amendment item this morning. I appreciate your time.
First, I want to again thank Chair Molina for his proposal to amend the Rules to limit the waiver of the standing committee referral requirement to no more than one waiver per Council Member per meeting.
As I mentioned this morning, I respectfully suggest two additional potential amendments to the Council Rules:
1. Require a minimum 14 day waiting period between the introduction of legislation (bills and resolutions having the force and effect of law) and any action to approve the legislation on first reading. A minimum waiting period ensures the public, the media and the Council members adequate time to review any proposed legislation and provides all interested individuals an opportunity to effectively comment on proposed legislation.
2. Establish a firm deadline (72 hours prior) by which supporting documents must be submitted to the board packet for agenda items.
Right now, the Council members often receive supporting documentation either the morning of the meeting or after the meeting has already started. I have read the minutes for several meetings where critical documents central to the agenda item - i.e. Expenditure Reports or copies of the proposed legislation, are not received by the majority of the Council members until after the meeting has started and public testimony on the item has closed. This is absolutely not open government best practices.
For example, last year the Council passed Bill 74 (2020) introduced by CM Rawlins-Fernandez via CC 20-316. The Bill's stated purpose was to improve the ability of smaller nonprofits to apply for and access grant funds. The legislation introduced to the Council on 5.29.2020 established a small grant category ($20,000) and added a new section to the County Code, 3.36.090 Disbursements, that would allow small grant recipients to receive up to 100% of their grant funds upfront. The proposed legislation also eliminated several accountability and reporting requirements for small nonprofits (annual budgets of less than $50,000).
This was the proposed legislation available to the members of the public prior to the start of public testimony at the 6.5.2020 Council meeting. During the actual discussion of this agenda item by the Council, after public testimony had closed, the legislation was amended to eliminate the creation of a small grant category and the language of the new Disbursement section MCC 3.36.090 was changed to allow any grant recipient to receive up to 25% or more of its grant funds upfront. So in the end legislation that was approved had virtually nothing to do with the original stated purpose of the legislation.
In the instance of Bill 74 (2020), if the Council had a minimum 14 day waiting period between the introduction of legislation and any action to approve on first reading, all interested individuals would have had an opportunity to review and intelligently comment on this legislation prior to the vote to approve it on first reading.
Thank you for your time.
Best,
Anna