Lodi Council’s protocol manual now updated
Lodi City Clerk Jennifer Ferraiolo provided several revisions to the city council protocol manual and introduced a new handbook for volunteers that serve on the city’s commissions during Tuesday’s Lodi City Council shirtsleeve meeting at Carnegie Forum.
The city council protocol manual is a comprehensive reference book that provides both direction and a codified set of principles for city staff working with city council members, according to Ferraiolo.
“The city council protocol manual was part of the city manager’s work plan, and the clerk's office took on the project and prepared a draft that was reviewed by the council at two shirtsleeve sessions,” Ferraiolo said.
Ferraiolo, who will be retiring on Dec. 19, was determined to update the manual before leaving her position.
“We have not had an overhaul of the manual in 13 years. I figured it was time to update it,” Ferraiolo said.
While many of the improvements to the council protocol are minor revisions, updates include administrative changes to resolution and ordinance numbers.
“We incorporated a new handbook to the manual that introduces commissioners to current practices, including the reorganization by the council,” she said.
Ferraiolo noted that the addition of the commission handbook will offer a more concise method of restructuring commissions in the event a person steps down, moves or is no longer able to serve on the commission before their term is up.
The handbook also serves as an informative guide for new commissioners that do not know about certain legal statutes and ethical regulations.
Councilwoman JoAnne Mounce asked if Ferraiolo had included regulations that outline how commissioners use social media to relay information to the general public.
Mounce believes there have been people serving on commissions that have used social media and letters to the media to pass along information to the general public without going through the proper bureaucratic channels.
“There needs to be a mechanism in place that handbook that provides that level of oversight,” Mounce said.
Ferraiolo said that a clause specific to media was not added to the current draft of the commissioner’s handbook but said she would work with Lodi City Attorney Janice Magdich to include language in the handbook that would address social media and other forms of media.