02 - February 13, 2025 - Analysis of City Council Meetings (2017-2024)
1
CITY COUNCIL INFORMATIONAL MEMORANDUM
Date: February 13, 2025
To: Cupertino City Council
From: Kirsten Squarcia, City Clerk
CC: Pamela Wu, City Manager
Re: Analysis of City Council Meetings (2017-2024)
Purpose
This memorandum provides an analysis of City Council meetings from 2017 through 2024,
highlighting trends in meeting types, frequency, and duration. The memo also discusses the fiscal
impact of conducting meetings, which includes costs for staff time, technology, and public
notices, with higher costs linked to longer and more frequent meetings.
Key Points
• The City Council typically meets twice a month, with occasional special meetings for
study sessions, closed sessions, workshops, or to address scheduling conflicts.
• Overall, more meetings were held than scheduled, with a notable spike in 2022 (64
meetings).
• The frequency of televised meetings peaked in 2021 (34 meetings) but declined to 24
meetings in 2024.
• The average duration of televised meetings varied, reaching its longest in 2019 (6 hours
and 18 minutes) and decreasing to 3 hours and 45 minutes in 2024.
• The frequency of closed sessions, which are not televised, peaked in 2021 and 2022 (26
each) but dropped significantly in 2023 to 4 sessions.
Trends suggest an increase in meetings and discussions in 2021-2022, with a decline in 2024.
City Council Meeting Schedule
The City Council meets regularly twice a month, with meetings scheduled on the first and third
Tuesdays of the month at 6:45 p.m. (Cupertino Municipal Code Section 2.04.010). Special City
Council meetings are held on an as-needed basis outside of the regular meeting schedule. These
may include study sessions for in-depth discussions on topics or issues, closed sessions that are
not open to the public, and workshops on Council goals. The Council may also hold special
meetings to accommodate scheduling conflicts.
Frequency of Televised Meetings
The City broadcasts City Council meetings live from Cupertino Community Hall (10350 Torre
Avenue). The following charts show the total number of City Council meetings that were held
from 2017 to 2024.
Chart 1, compares the number of actual televised meetings to scheduled. The actual meetings
held are closer to the scheduled amount, peaking in 2021 (34 actual meetings). The lowest
recorded number was in 2017 (23 meetings), while in 2024, there was a decrease to 24 meetings.
The trend has shown a gradual decline from 2021 to 2024, with 2024 having the lowest number
of meetings.
Chart 1.
23
27 25
29
34
31
27
2424242424242424 24
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
#
M
e
e
t
i
n
g
s
Year
# Televised City Council Meetings
Actual Scheduled Trend
Chart 2.
This chart compares the overall number of meetings occurring compared to the number of
meetings that were scheduled. It highlights a significantly higher number of meetings held than
were scheduled, peaking in 2022 (64 actual meetings).
Frequency of Closed Session Meetings
A city council closed session is a meeting that is not open to the public and is held to discuss
confidential matters. Closed sessions can be used for personnel matters, litigation, and other
sensitive topics. These meetings are not televised. The following chart summarizes the frequency
of closed session meetings held from 2017-2024.
Chart 4.
24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24
33
44 48 47
59 64
37
45
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
# All Council Meetings
(Televised and Non-Televised)
Scheduled Actual Trend
10
3
23
16
26 26
4
11
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
# Non-Televised (Closed Session)
City Council Meetings
Chart 4 shows that the lowest number of closed sessions was in 2018 (3), while the highest
occurred in 2021 and 2022 (26 each). There was an increase in closed sessions from 2018 to 2019,
followed by continued high numbers through 2022. A significant drop in 2023 (4 closed sessions)
suggests fewer confidential matters requiring private discussions.
Trends and Observations
The highest number of televised meetings occurred in 2021 (34) and the highest number of
meetings overall occurred in 2022 (64). There are various potential reasons that could have
contributed to this including an increase in Council activities or policy discussions and/or
confidential matters during those years. The spike in average meeting duration in 2019 may have
been attributed to extended discussions or more agenda items requiring deliberation. The recent
decline in both the number of meetings and meeting duration in 2024 may suggest increased
efficiency, fewer agenda items, or other external factors affecting meeting schedules.
Sustainability Impact
No sustainability impact.
Fiscal Impact
The fiscal impacts of City Council meetings include costs related to staff time, technology, and
public notices. Technology costs include maintaining online meeting platforms, live streaming
capabilities, and recording equipment. The costs associated with noticing include notices in
newspapers or mailers to comply with state law. Increased frequency and longer meetings
typically lead to higher staff costs, especially for meetings requiring support from the City’s Video
Division and KMVT Consultants for broadcast services.
_____________________________________
Prepared by: Kirsten Squarcia, City Clerk
Reviewed by: Astrid Robles, Senior Management Analyst
Approved for Submission by: Pamela Wu, City Manager