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<br /> 66 <br />IIIIL CITY OF SAN MARCOS <br /> <br /> OFFICE MEMORANDUM <br />ro: Mayor Craddock and <br /> Council Members <br />FROM: Bill Coddington <br />SUBJECT: Council Aide <br />DATE: September 9, 1985 RE: <br /> I sometimes have a hard time voting on an issue that will affect the <br /> lives of many people for many years . . . but my belief in our demo- <br /> cratic system prevails. In San Marcos is the system working well? <br /> My perception of what an effective City Council must do is as follows: <br /> - Set policy and direction for the City; <br /> - Set present and future goals as to personnel growth, <br /> services, etc. <br /> - Establish the tenor, the purport of the City's stance on <br /> governing. <br /> - Implement this plan; <br /> - See that it is carried out by follow-up of the directions <br /> given Staff. <br /> What I have read in publications of the National League of Cities and <br /> elsewhere, and what I have learned in visits to, and conversations with, <br /> Staff and elected officials, of other cities tells me my perception is <br /> eminently correct. <br /> To be effective we must set policy, not Staff. To be effective we must <br /> be informed on all aspects of all issues. To be effective we must be <br /> sure that our directions are carried out to the letter. If we do not <br /> live up to these three caveats we are not representing the voters as we <br /> should. We are guilty of non-feasance. <br /> Currently, Council is not set up to form policy, give direction or follow- <br /> up on Ordinances, Resolutions and directives given. We have no policy <br /> committee, no groups monitoring any department (except the recent Munici- <br /> pal Court group) and we give very little input to Staff. In fact we give <br /> ~ in an organized fashion where all Council is involved. Even the <br /> budget formation is largely Staff controlled. <br />