Hi,One of the other practices we have had, this is mostly for the new people have joined the council recently, is the practice of delaying a vote by one meeting if a constituency said it needed more time. I try not to delay things unnecessarily, but I know that the schedules of constituency meetings do not always mesh well with the schedule of Council meetings, So even 3 weeks may not be enough, though 6 will be in most cases. This is even more an issue when holidays are involved in the intervening time.
In general the guideline I try to follow is to schedule a vote on a PDP at the meeting after the issues report has been introduced to the council with an overview by the staff. This is generally at least 4 weeks after the report has been released.
Everyone knows that we have been 'ignoring' the strict time considerations in the PDP rules. I have, however, been trying to follow a fairly consistent set of guidelines though these have evolved over time. I should probably write these up for the PPSC so the issues they bring out, if not the guidelines themselves, can be considered as part of the discussion.
In terms of the motions submitted less then 7 days in advance of the meeting, I apologize for my part in being a day late with the motions for Registration Abuse Policy. If the constituencies are not ready to vote at this meeting because of that delay I will understand, though the bylaws required vote on whether we do a PDP or not is a rather automatic motion that can be expected anytime 15 days after an issues report is released (not that we ever vote that soon). In terms of the motion for establishing a Drafting Team to work on a solution, that is often something we do without a long lead wen we find a subject that needs some focused work before the Council considers an issue.
We certainly should make sure your concern for adequate constituency time to consider issues is taken into account by the PPSC. What I think we need to do is find the right balance between sufficient time and timeliness - which is not a necessarily trivial issue.
thanks a. On 12 Dec 2008, at 12:26, Tim Ruiz wrote:
The GNSO Council members will consult with their constituencies in preparation for a vote on a PDP and other possible motions at the Council meeting on 8 January.Thank you Avri. The problem with motions like the ones flying aroundhere in the last day and a half (less than 7 days before our meeting) isthe Council is not like the Board (no matter what some like to claim). The Councilors represent their constituents and need time to consultwith them on various issues and decisions before voting. Even seven daysis really cutting it short. Hopefully the PPSC PDP Team will take this into account and require - without exception - a reasonable notice period for motions that allowsfor constituency consultation. Once Councilors have a good handle on the views of their constituents regarding a particular motion, they will bein a much better position to *negotiate* necessary amendments thataddress the needs/concerms of their constituents and can vote in a moreinformed manner. Tim