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Report regarding requests for policy advocacy including letters of support or opposition for State and Federal legislation (Megan Wooley-Ousdahl, Deputy City Manager)
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RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Staff recommends that City Council, by motion, direct staff to develop a legislative platform which would include granting the Mayor authority to sign documents implementing the platform. Once adopted, this platform will serve as the official guide for staff to engage in policy work including preparing and transmitting letters of support or opposition that align with the City's official position on State or Federal legislation in a consistent and timely manner.
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BACKGROUND
Staff are currently receiving requests from a variety of sources, including individual councilmembers, to provide letters of support for or opposition to specific legislative bills. Staff have no formal delegated authority to evaluate and respond to such requests, nor any officially defined process to receive such authority. Past practices on responding to policy advocacy requests have been inconsistent. Without a clear policy, it is difficult to determine whether any type of policy advocacy, including letters of support or opposition, reflects a collective City Council position. Staff seek direction on how City Council wishes staff to determine if and when to engage in policy advocacy on behalf of the City Council.
DISCUSSION
The City Council has full discretion to determine if and how the City should engage in advocacy at the State and Federal levels. Advocacy by cities takes many different forms and ranges widely. Some cities choose to spend no resources on any effort, and, on the other end of the spectrum, some cities choose to dedicate many resources including hiring full time staff and/or dedicated lobbyists. Below is a list of the more common approaches and suggestions staff has recently heard.
1) Create a Council-adopted Legislative Platform (recommended opti...
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