Ann Marie Gallant: Follow up on Call for Review procedures

>>> Ann Marie Gallant 03/18/10 8:23 PM >>> Mayor and City Council....

I wanted to dash off a quick update and clarification on this 'call for review' confusion ­ indicative of another City of Alameda 'organizational legend'.

Andrew Thomas will be forwarding to you all a more formal email on our proposed corrected practices and procedures for preventing confusion in the future. HOWEVER, staff has now advised and confirmed that the actual section in the AMC does indicate that Call for Review is literally a 'call'. It makes no reference to anything in writing nor a form. It is the appeal section of the AMC that requires a written instrument and form. So, Vice­Mayor and CAO were correct in their recollection of the citation.

In preliminary research, Andrew realized that staff had developed a practice in writing ­ but, in actuality, the history indicates that the INTENT behind this process was for the City Council to literally 'call for review' an action of the Planning Board at a subsequent CCL meeting.

So, it appears that memories were correct ­ a verbal request is all that is required. This also explains staff not referencing forms to the CAO, City Clerk, Vice­Mayor or myself when this first arose.

That having been said, however, Planning will be formalizing ADMINISTRATIVE procedures for both the Call for Review and Appeals so that we don't suffer from another 'misunderstanding' or incorrect recollection of specific requirements again. We do so few of these, it is understandable that the process was simply not receiving attention to detail.

Sort of a deja vu on the City Council Referral Process interpretation ­ what we believed to be one way and had applied as such, was actually another.

Before it is said, oversight of staff is my responsibility ­ and I shall double check such assumptions and understandings of standard operating procedures in the future.

AMG