(A) The City Manager or his or her designated representative, is authorized to open and examine all mail or other written communications addressed to the City Council, except correspondence addressed to individual council members, and to give it warranted attention to the end that all administrative business referred to in said communications and not requiring City Council action may be acted upon between council meetings: provided, that all communications and any action taken pursuant thereto shall be reported to the City Council. The City Manager may keep, distribute, copy or direct the keeping, distribution, or copying of such mail or other written communications as the Manager deems necessary or appropriate for the efficient conduct of city business.
(B) The City Manager's office and City Clerk's office shall coordinate with respect to mail received by the City Clerk's office in order to effectively accomplish the purposes of this section.
(C) Correspondence concerning a matter on an agenda for consideration by the Council, and received by the City Manager's office or City Clerk's office prior to twelve noon two days before delivery of agenda packages to City Council members, shall be made a part of the agenda item package. A copy of correspondence received after that time shall be delivered to each council member as soon as feasible before the meeting, or at the meeting, and a copy shall be filed with the City Clerk/Deputy City Clerk as soon as practicable after receipt. Such correspondence shall be a part of the record of the meeting, but generally shall not be read aloud at a council meeting unless directed by the Mayor with the consent of the City Council. Correspondence delivered to the City Clerk/Deputy City Clerk, or two members of the City Council, at a meeting shall be part of the record; upon request by any member of the City Council such correspondence may be read aloud or paraphrased by the City Clerk/Deputy City Clerk in lieu of oral testimony by the person submitting the letter. In the preparation of the record of a meeting, the city is not required to keep duplicate copies of a document.
(D) Correspondence requiring or requesting Council action on a subject matter within its jurisdiction shall be placed on an agenda as soon as practicable, together with a report and recommendation from the City Manager.
(E) The City Manager may establish administrative policies to implement the provisions of this section.
(Ord. 1205, passed 11-6-96)