[BoulderCouncilHotline] discussion item under process for the retreat Friday

[Morzel, Lisa]

Dear Council,

As you may have read in my retreat comments, I included, under additional items, establishing a decision tree on how, when, and what information council receives.  I believe both a decision tree and, done perhaps after a decision tree is established, an authority matrix could be extremely helpful and objective tools that would go a long way in the council and staff making better decisions for the community.

One decision tree tool I've recently learned about that council might consider is called a RACI matrix. Individuals are assigned to subject matters, based on whether they areResponsible for implementation; Accountable for the decision; Consulted for their advice or input; or merely Informed of the plan or outcome. You can read more about the RACI system at the wiki linked below.

For certain things, council must be Accountable for the decision, and that’s what we do in our business meetings. For other things, council merely needs to be Consulted with, or Informed of a staff-led matter or matter of council interest, and that’s what we tend to do at study sessions. Our Information packets inform council about actions or staff considerations that council needs to know but may not need to have any additional council action.

I think a decision tree, or a RACI matrix, or some other clear parameters of decision-making authority needs to be established, so that council and staff roles are clear with regard to critical decision making, how council decisions are implemented, what council needs to know and what they do not, when council needs to be informed, etc.

Here is a link to RACI.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Responsibility_assignment_matrix

Other models exist. In a following email, I will send other models/examples we may consider exploring.  While our retreat is abbreviated this year and we will not have the time to discuss these models in details, I put these out to council to consider and hope we can schedule a study session where these and perhaps other models can be discussed in 2019.

Thanks.

Lisa
Lisa Morzel,
Member of Boulder City Council

303-815-6723

"We interact with one another as individuals responding to a complex haze of factors: professional responsibilities, personal likes and dislikes, ambition, jealousy, self-interest, and, in at least some instances, genuine altruism.  Living in the here and now, we are awash with sensations of the present, memories of the past, and expectations and fears for the future. Our actions are not determined by any one cause; they are the fulfillment of who we are at that particular moment.  After that moment passes, we continue to evolve, to change, and our memories of that moment inevitably change with us as we live with the consequences of our past actions, consequences we were unaware of at the time." The Last Stand, Nathaniel Philbrick
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