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making certain decisions. He does not know that it is necessary to televise work sessions to do <br />that. <br />Councilmember Dehen noted there seems to be more debate in the work sessions than in Council <br />Chambers. Debate and ideas and disagreeing points are what theywant people to view so they <br />p p <br />can make their own decisions and the work sessions are paramount to that debate. <br />Mayor Pro Tem Elvig expressed concern that councilmembers will lobby their opinion on issues <br />they are passionate about prior to a work session if work sessions are televised. He stated he <br />does not like work sessions that are postured and tailored. He wants open debate and <br />real opinions. <br />people's <br />Councilmember Strommen stated she is not convinced that people will posture before work <br />sessions because they are on camera. She noted when work sessions were cabled previously it <br />Y <br />was in a much more formal setting in the Council Chambers. If the work sessions were to be <br />televised she would want to keep the setting of the Council sitting around the table with the <br />informal discussion and debate. She stated this ties into the communication plan and suggested a <br />community wide survey asking what the best way is to communicate with the residents and what <br />their top topics would be. <br />Councilmember Olson asked if it is known what percentage of the residents have cable. <br />Interim City Administrator Nelson replied this information can be provided to the Council. <br />Councilmember Olson pointed out that some residents may not have access to the meetings even <br />if they are televised. She stated she is not a big fan of televising work sessions. As a Council <br />they need those opportunities to dig into things without being scrutinized. She agrees with the <br />suggestion for a survey, and there are other things that could be done to provide more <br />information. <br />Councilmember Dehen noted to some degree the residents elect the councilmembers to act on <br />their behalf, so he understands the argument of rolling up their sleeves and keeping it off of <br />p g <br />television. He suggested more frequency in communication tools like the Ramsey Resident and <br />informing people about what they collectively think are the big issues. <br />Mayor Pro Tem Elvig noted the need for cable subscriber information to determine if it would be <br />effective to televise work sessions. He pointed out when they put the website in position that <br />was a big effort that involved a lot of work because communication was an issue. It was going oin to <br />g <br />be the end-all for full communication. Now, here they sit with the same problem again. He does <br />not think a work session on camera or the Ramsey Resident will do it. He agrees with asking the <br />residents what the best vehicle is to get the information to them and finding out what they are <br />interested in. <br />Interim City Administrator Nelson indicated the communication needs to be done in a broad <br />spectrum because everyone communicates differently. <br />Y <br />City Council Work Session / July 17, 2007 <br />Page 9 of 12 <br />