City of Milwaukee - File #: R13513

• File #: R13513
• Version: 0
• Type: Housing Authority Resolution
• Status: Passed
• File created: 10/8/2024
• In control: HOUSING AUTHORITY
• On agenda: 10/9/2024
• Final action: 10/9/2024
• Title: Resolution: Commitment by the Board to hold public listening sessions
• Sponsors: THE CHAIR

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result	Tally
10/9/2024	0	HOUSING AUTHORITY	Minutes note: Vice Chair VandeBerg introduced the item to the Board stating that she had asked HACM staff and the Office of the City Attorney how to best structure public listening sessions going forward and the ability for the Board to take public comment. She continued that because this is not done within any of the boards, commissions, or Council Committees, the Board has asked HACM’s City Attorney Greg Kruse and Deputy City Attorney Julie Wilson, to provide some guidance as to best practices. Vice Chair VandeBerg recommended having a public listening session quarterly, which would be a planned agenda item at the Board Meeting. Attorney Kruse explained that the Board is not required to hold listening sessions, but if it chooses to do so, the Board can decide on an open session or choose a specific topic. The Board and staff are not to respond to comments, these are listening sessions within an open meeting, to provide input to the Board, not a back-and-forth dialogue. Attorney Kruse recommended putting the rules of the listening session directly on the meeting agenda and repeating those instructions at the beginning of the meeting. Attorney Kruse also recommended reminding the public to be respectful to whoever is talking. In addition, he noted that the Board and support staff have the authority to enforce the rules, including the authority to remove people who are not allowing the meeting to move forward or are not following instructions. Attorney Kruse spoke on brevity, suggesting future speakers in support of previous comments, should state they concur, to provide a wide range of comments to be heard. Deputy City Attorney (DCA) Julie Wilson, further explained regarding the Board not responding to comments from the public, that the Open Meeting law intends for the public to look at the Meeting Notice and make their individualized assessment about whether or not they want to attend, and that dialogue between Commissioners and the public may cause a violation of open meeting requirements by becoming content that a member of the public may have wanted to hear from the Board, but was not able to be notified about. DCA Wilson also stated that HACM must post their agendas no less than 24 hours before the meeting to give proper notice to the public, per Open Meetings laws.

Number

13515

Version

Original

Reference

Sponsor

The Chair

Title

Resolution: Commitment by the Board to hold public listening sessions

Analysis

Body

WHEREAS, The Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee owns and manages low-rent public housing, affordable housing via low-income housing tax credits and project-based vouchers, market rate units, and provides a variety of Section 8 vouchers, serving a total of over 15,000 Milwaukeeans; and

WHEREAS, the Board of Commissioners of the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM) has expressed an interest in adding public listening sessions to their Board Meetings; and

WHEREAS, currently no other City of Milwaukee-affiliated boards or committee regularly utilizes listening sessions; and

WHEREAS, the Commissioners must be mindful of balancing the time of their volunteer service, among other factors, while assessing the effectiveness of those methods and practices which are at their discretion; and

WHEREAS, the Commissioners will want to review any practices or routines that evolve as, for instance, additional information becomes available or as members of the Board join or leave; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, the Board shall implement regularly-scheduled public listening sessions;

FURTHER RESOLVED, the Board directs HACM staff to prepare written rules and procedures regarding the scheduled public listening sessions based on input from the Board for approval at a future Board meeting.

Requestor

Drafter

Housing Management, Atty Greg Kruse, 10/8/2024