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City Council Handbook | 2017 <br /> <br /> <br />21 San Leandro City Council <br />that will affect local economic growth, cultural change, and the environment. All these complex <br />and ever-changing factors affect and are affected by a local government’s mission. <br /> <br />To understand your government’s mission is to become familiar with its policies. Review the <br />budget, the capital improvement plan, the comprehensive or master plan, administrative <br />procedures and practices, and the charter. As issues come up, take another look at existing <br />policies to see if they support the mission of the organization. Keep in mind that policymaking <br />can be passive as well as active. Policy ideas come from many sources, but the final <br />determination of how policies (and through policies the mission of your organization) evolve <br />during your term of office rests with you, the elected governing official. Wherever the ideas <br />come from, it is the Council’s responsibility to look at the merits of each idea and then approve, <br />modify, or reject it. (Chapter 1, Book 1, ICMA Elected Officials Handbook) <br /> <br />POLICYMAKING <br />In elementary terms, policymaking means deciding what you are going to do - not how you are <br />going to do it. An example may help illustrate the difference. Deciding that your community is <br />going to emphasize the provision of low-income housing is a basic policy decision. Making that <br />decision means that you will be spending money on housing programs, that you intend to make <br />this subject a priority, and that, in all likelihood, some other programs will have to wait their turn. <br />Note that making the policy decision says nothing about how you will provide low-income <br />housing. That question comes later and may require advice from your staff or other <br />knowledgeable individuals. Your staff may suggest several alternatives for providing low-income <br />housing. You might be able to use federal programs, state financing, or public-private <br />partnerships. You will have to make other policy decisions, choosing which of these alternatives <br />you wish to use. Once you have made these secondary policy decisions, your staff can deal with <br />how to carry out your policy. Policies are formulated for the broad issues that affect your <br />community. These may include everything from providing jobs to paving streets to making sure <br />that children have enough playgrounds. <br /> <br />As a policymaker, sometimes you will judge and sometimes you will advocate; you need to hear <br />opposing views, consider the arguments, and think about the concerns of the constituency you <br />serve. Two major activities will help you shape policy systematically: setting goals and <br />formulating the budget. <br /> <br />The four phases of the policy-making cycle are: <br /> <br />1. Identify and analyze community needs. What do your constituents want? What <br />program changes were the basis of your campaign? What long-standing problems <br />require attention? What do staff studies of social and economic trends tell you about <br />the future? <br /> <br />2. Analyze program and service alternatives and resources. How do you gather the <br />resources you will need to accomplish the goals you have in mind? <br /> <br />59