And it is now 603, but before each um meeting of council, um

the

city of Milford does have a 15-minute public comment period.

And I will ask the solicitor to um go over to ground rules for the public comment period.

Thank you, Vice Mayor.

Uh good evening.

This is the public comment period for the um city council workshop this evening.

City has set aside 15 minutes for public comment.

We allow three minutes per person.

Uh the chairman feels it's appropriate.

He can extend that time.

Anyone who wish to speak should have signed up on the comment pad.

We will also check online.

If your name is called, please come up to the podium or if you're speaking online, give your name and address and a topic for which you want to speak.

Um, is there a sign-up sheet this evening?

Did anyone sign

up?

I don't see anyone here coming forward.

Is there anyone online uh with their hand raised to make a public comment?

Uh we do have one.

Julie, go ahead.

Uh

Julie Morris, 2114.

Cedar Beach Road.

Uh glad culotta, you got there just in time.

So um, since tonight's workshop is about ethics, um thought this would be a good time to remind some people that council members are independently elected, they should be able to vote their judgment without being publicly pressured or chastised for disagreeing with the mayor.

Uh the same should be true for the planning commission and the board of adjustment.

Those members should never have to wonder whether questioning staff, questioning an applicant or disagreeing with the mayor could affect whether they were reappointed.

I'd also like tonight's discussion to clearly explain why the mayor's authority ends and the city manager's authority begins, particularly when it comes to directing staff and influencing administrative decisions.

And I'm glad to see in the packet discussion on the spoky smoky hollow decision included.

And I would definitely encourage you to play cl pay close attention to that.

We repeatedly hear during Milford Land Use hearings that if an application meets technical requirements, the planning commission essentially has to approve it.

But the Supreme Court made it very clear that that's not the case.

If legitimate site-specific questions remain about flooding, drainage, wetlands, infrastructure, traffic, utilities, school capacity, public safety, agency recommendations.

The commission can investigate those concerns, require an adequate factual record, and impose reasonable conditions when supported by the evidence.

So you cannot know that an application complies until you have enough information to make

that

determination.

Kulata is gonna sit here and you know, because he makes the agenda, say that this is all about public pressure.

Um, no, it's clear when something clearly has further information, further guest investigation that that can come back, and those agencies have to answer for the residents also deserve clear rules on disclosure and recusal when officials have family financial business employment or other private connections to matters before the city.

So council works for Milford, the planning commission works for Milford, the Board of Adjustment works for Milford, and unfortunately, so does the mayor.

Thanks.

Is there anyone else online?

Uh no.

If there's no one online, uh mayor, you can close the public comment portion.

Public comments closed.

We'll go ahead and go on to the uh council agenda for the workshop.

Uh first uh item on is uh public officials ethics training.

So hello everyone.

My name is Max Walton.

I'm a partner with Conley Gallagher, which is a law firm and Wilmington in Newark, and I just so happen to be the guy in Newark.

Um I I know some of you I've been here several years uh doing training on various things.

And I do that uh across the state uh for a lot of municipalities.

I'm also a senior fellow with the University of Delaware, it's institute of public administration.

So for the last several years, I've come down and they asked me to speak about FOIA, but this year um it's gonna be a little bit different because we've we've done that enough.

We've had that training enough.

And so we were trying to do something that's a little bit different.

So, what we're gonna talk about uh today in the training.

And if we go to the first couple of slides, there you go.

We're gonna talk about ethics.