Committee Report - Rules - 10-25-21 — File 212584

Rules Special Committee Page 1 of 2 Printed 10/26/2021 October 25, 2021 REPORT OF THE RULES SPECIAL COMMITTEE Attendee Name Title Status Arrived William A. White Jr. Chair Present Mary Jo Rossetti Vice Chair Present Lance L. Davis Ward Six City Councilor Present Others present: Julie McKenzie - Chief Labor Counsel, Regina Ryan - Consultant, Lauren Racaniello Director of Legislative Affairs, Peter Forcellese - Legislative Clerk. The meeting took place virtually via GoToWebinar and was called to order at 6:00 PM by Chair White and adjourned at 6:44 PM on a roll call vote of 3 in favor (Councilors Davis, Rossetti and White), 0 against and 0 absent. 205107: That the Administration work with this Board to implement a Code of Conduct policy and discuss training all staff and Aldermen. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 212232: That this Council adopt a code of conduct and anti-harassment policy. Anti-Harassment Policy Chief Labor Counsel Julie McKenzie told the committee that she reviewed the documents and noted that they are not her work product. Human Resources (HR) Consultant Regina Ryan stated that she had been contacted by the city's HR Director, Anne Gill, to review the city's EO policies. Ms. Ryan noted that the city's EO policy does apply to elected officials and their employees. Counsel McKenzie noted that the policy is on the city's HR website and the current version has been in effect since 2018. She informed the committee that her legal opinion is that a separate policy is not needed for the City Council. The committee voted to place attachment (b) on file on a roll call vote of 3 in favor (Councilors Davis, Rossetti and White), 0 against and 0 absent. Code of Conduct Ms. Ryan explained that many municipalities have opted to adopt a code of conduct and she will provide a list of communities that have done so. Councilor Davis asked what the city requested of her and Ms. Ryan explained that she wasn't comfortable speaking about the particulars. Director of Legislative Affairs Racaniello said that President McLaughlin would be the better person to answer the question. Councilor Davis asked if Ms. Ryan was requested to provide a code of conduct for the City Council or for

Rules Special Committee Page 2 of 2 Printed 10/26/2021 all elected officials. He is concerned that the proposed document is very broad, wildly inappropriate and offensive. Ms. Ryan explained that the document included here is just a boiler plate starting point. Councilor Rossetti noted that President McLaughlin sent a communication to members of the committee this afternoon explaining his intentions regarding this matter. She went on to explain that there were some complaints involving the Confirmation of Appointments and Personnel Matters Committee which led to this issue being brought forward. Councilor Davis reiterated his objection to the document, as presented. Chair White offered to review and edit the document, as did Councilor Davis. Chair White then asked Councilor Davis to put something together for review at another committee meeting. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE Referenced Material: • President McLaughlin email (with 205107, 212232)