1963-01-08 Special CC Minutes40
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ALAMEDA
HELD TUESDAY EVENING, JANUARY 8, - - - - - - - 1963
The meeting convened at 7:30 o'clock p.m. with President Collischonn presiding.
ROLL CALL:
The roll was called and Councilmen Godfrey, McCall, Rose, Schacht and President Collischonn,
(5), were noted present. Absent: None.
NEW BUSINESS:
1. Receipt of the Notice and Agenda for said special meeting had been acknowledged.by each of the
Councilmen and was on file.
2:/ The special meeting had been called for the purpose of holding a joint session with the Citi-
zens' Committee on Charter Revision to consider and discuss the proposed revised Charter and also
for consideration of personnel matters.
The President opened the meeting with an expression of the Council's sincere thanks to the Committee
for the excellent job it had done and appreciation for the great amount of time and effort expended
in this project.
He remarked that he felt it was improbable that the proposed Charter would be ready to submit to the
voters at this coming March Election, due to the deadlines now involved in following the proper
procedures. He said he thought it would be unwise to attempt to rush this matter at the sacrifice
of a satisfactory and fully acceptable document. He then called upon the other Councilmen for
their thinking on the subject. Each expressed his views - to the effect that he was hopeful of
trying to work out the provisions of said proposed Charter in time to place it on the General Muni-
cipal Election ballot, but not unless agreement had been reached that it was the best that could be
accomplished.
The President then called upon Mr. H. J. Kihn, Vice Chairman of the Committee, who fully reviewed
the operation of the Committee in its project of studying and revising the existing Charter. He
explained the reasons for the Committee's recommended changes and pointed up the fact that con-
scientious research had been given the provisions which had now been incorporated in the proposed
revised document. He felt the Committee had presented a workable Charter insofar as intent was
concerned but with the possible correction of the actual language to be used in some sections, as
indicated in the memorandum from the City Manager and the City Attorney, dated January 7, 1963.
President Collischonn inquired if any of the Councilmen had any questions to submit at this time on
specific sections of the proposed Charter. There was no response. The President then asked if
there were any in the audience who desired to speak on a specific provision.
Mrs. Inez Kapellas, 1610 Encinal Avenue, stated she did not recall the Committee having discussed
the "decentralization" of Government during its meetings and suggested this point should be con-
sidered now. She said she felt a more efficient governmental operation would result if such
decentralization of authority and responsibility were established.
It was emphasized by Messrs. Kihn and Kranelly that "Centralization" rather than "Decentralization"
was certainly the modern concept of corporate agencies, and the City would not be served benefi-
cially at all by decentralization of its governmental administration.
Mr. John Nazro, Jr., President of the City Planning Board, referred to a letter dated December 12,
1962, written to the Committee from the Board, submitting several suggestions pertaining to the
Board for the Committee's consideration. He was assured that the three items mentioned in the- -let-
ter had been recommended by the City Manager and the City Attorney in their memorandum to be incor-
porated in the proposed Charter.
It was then decided that the most effective way of proceeding would be to go through the proposed
Charter in conjunction with the memorandum from the Manager and the Attorney and consider and dis-
cuss each section about which there was some question or need for clarification. This would
eliminate further deliberation on all provisions which were mutually satisfactory to the members
of the Committee and the Council and also elicit agreement on many of the sections where only minor
changes or corrections in verbiage were concerned.
The entire document was reviewed in this manner and questionable or debatable points were discussed
and explained. It was developed that there were only eight sections to which the Committee desired
to give further study.
Considerable discussion then ensued concerning continued effort to attempt to complete all work on
the proposed revised Charter in order to prepare the necessary resolutions for the next regular
meeting of the City Council which would be the deadline for action to submit said document to the
people at the March Election. The President stated that even if the proposed Charter could not be
placed on the ballot for the March Election, he would urge that the Committee function until the
document was finished to the complete satisfaction of all concerned. He felt so much had been
accomplished that it should'be produced as soon as all had reached full agreement on it.
The members of the Committee agreed to hold a work session this next Thursday evening to further
consider the eight sections about which there was some difference of opinion.
After some discussion, the President stated the meeting would be adjourned to an adjourned special
meeting of the Council to be held tomorrow night in the Council Chamber at 7:30 o'clock, in order
that the Council itself might continue its deliberations on the subject.
3. At this point, the President called an executive session of the Council to meet in Room 303^
City Hall, immediately following this meeting, for discussion of personnel matters.
4. There being no further business to come before the meeting, the Council adjourned - to assemble
in adjourned special session on Wednesday evening, January 9, 1983, at 7:30 o'clock.
Respectfully submitted,
.
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