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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 01 Boards, Committees and Commissions AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Meeting Date: 11/18/2019 Meeting Type: Work Session/Reg. Mtg Staff Contact/Dept.: Mary Bridget Smith/CAO AJ Ripka/CMO Staff Phone No: 541-744-4061 Estimated Time: 30 Minutes S P R I N G F I E L D C I T Y C O U N C I L Council Goals: Foster an Environment that Values Diversity and Inclusion ITEM TITLE: BOARDS, COMMITTEES, AND COMMISSIONS UPDATE AND CHECK-IN ACTION REQUESTED: Provide an update on Council direction from April 8, 2019 work session regarding Council boards, committees, and commissions and obtain Council guidance regarding the appointment and recruitment of volunteers to serve on boards, committees, and commissions. ISSUE STATEMENT: Council boards, committees, and commissions serve an important function for the City of Springfield, but management of these groups can be challenging because of the variety in their purpose, makeup, and legal requirements. The purpose of this item is to review the different Council boards, committees, and commissions and obtain Council direction on the recruitment and appointment process. ATTACHMENTS: Attachment 1: Council Briefing Memorandum Attachment 2: Council Operating Policies and Procedures Attachment 3: Sample Bylaws Template Attachment 4: Sample Guide from the City of Florence DISCUSSION/ FINANCIAL IMPACT: The Council Briefing Memorandum sets out a review of the City’s boards, committees, and commissions and a number of policy questions for the Council concerning recruitment and appointment. Those questions include standardizing Bylaws, conducting candidate interviews, instituting a batch recruitment process, and providing volunteers with a guide. Depending on the direction from Council, staff will move forward and prepare the applicable Council Operating Policies and Procedures changes, and Bylaw changes for adoption in 2020. M E M O R A N D U M City of Springfield Date: 11/18/2019 To: Mayor and Springfield City Council COUNCIL From: Mary Bridget Smith, City Manager Pro Tem BRIEFING Subject: Boards, Committees & Commissions Update and Check-In MEMORANDUM ISSUE: Council boards, commissions and committees serve a variety of important functions for the City Council, but management of those groups can be challenging due to their purpose, make up and legal requirements. The purpose of this item is to provide a review of the various Council boards, commissions, and committees, follow up on previous Council direction and obtain Council direction on the appointment and recruitment process. COUNCIL GOALS/ MANDATE: Foster an Environment that Values Diversity and Inclusion BACKGROUND: Effective citizen participation is an invaluable tool for local government; the study, action and recommendations of the City’s various boards, committees, and commissions have led to many successful city programs and initiatives. They bring together citizen viewpoints, which might not otherwise be heard and provide an opportunity for community members to participate in public service without having to compete for public office. These bodies also serve as a training ground or stepping-stone for qualified persons who seek elected public office. These groups help fulfill the goals of the City’s adopted Citizen Involvement Program to have an informed and involved citizenry. Finally, as a volunteer experience, it is an opportunity for our community to learn about the City and a way for the City to put its best foot forward and provide a positive experience for the committee members. The adoption of uniform rules of procedure has become necessary to ensure consistency and efficiency in administering the City’s various boards, committees, and commissions. Council boards, committees, and commissions originate from different sources. For example, some are established by state statute, Charter provision or Council direction. The majority of the rules concerning boards, commissions, and committees can be found in Section IX of the Council’s Operating Policies and Procedures. The management, oversight, and recruitment of the boards, commissions, and committees are run through the City Manager’s Office. Each body is assigned a staff liaison and most groups also have a Council liaison as well. As a public body, Council boards, committees, and commissions are also subject to state regulations about record retention, public official ethics, public meetings and public records. The following is an outline of the City’s different boards, committees, and commissions: Council Subcommittees The Council or Mayor may establish subcommittees comprised of members of the Council to work on specific areas of policy.  Finance & Judiciary Subcommittee  Economic Development Subcommittee  Quarterly Human Services Subcommittee  Legislative Subcommittee Attachment 1, Page 1 of 4 MEMORANDUM Page 2 Intergovernmental & Other Agency Boards, Committees, and Commissions In addition to Council subcommittees, members of the Council may serve as City representatives to intergovernmental or another agency’s boards, committees, and commissions. These bodies may be established by state law, other governmental agencies, or by intergovernmental agreement.  Metropolitan Waste Management Commission  Lane Regional Air Protection Agency  Metropolitan Policy Committee  Metropolitan Cable Commission  Human Services Commission  Travel Lane County  McKenzie River Watershed Council  Public Safety Coordinating Council Standing Commissions and Boards Commissions and boards are bodies given final decision-making authority on matters within their jurisdiction, and are established by formal Council action, such as ordinance or resolution, or under state law. Currently Appointed  Planning Commission  Historic Commission  Arts Commission  Library Board Not Currently Appointed  Building Board of Appeals  Human Rights Commission  Emergency Medical Services Committee Standing Committees Standing committees are established by formal Council action such as an ordinance or resolution or under state law. Some standing committees are Citizen Involvement Committees, discussed below.  Budget Committee  Museum Committee  Police Advisory Committee (formerly the Police Planning Task Force) Ad Hoc Committees The Council may establish ad hoc committees for a limited purpose or project. For example, the Council appointed members of the Consolidated Plan Advisory Committee, which is an intergovernmental ad hoc committee with members from both the City of Springfield and the City of Eugene. Most of the City of Springfield’s ad hoc committees are project-specific Citizen Involvement Committees, discussed below. Citizen Involvement Committees (Goal 1) Citizen involvement committees are appointed to meet the City’s obligations under the State’s land use Goal 1 to provide community engagement in planning and land use. Typically, a citizen involvement committee is authorized by the Planning Commission acting as the Committee for Citizen Involvement (CCI), through adoption of a project-specific Community Attachment 1, Page 2 of 4 MEMORANDUM Page 3 Engagement Plan. These project-specific committees expire once the planning project has been adopted or abandoned. On-going citizen involvement committees may also be established by the CCI or City Council for a more general purpose, which does not expire with the completion of a specific project. On-going Citizen Involvement Committees:  Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC)  Community Development Advisory Committee (CDAC) Project-Specific Citizen Involvement Committees:  Development Code Update Project Governance Team  Development Code Update Project Technical Advisory Committee  Main Street Safety Project Technical Advisory Committee  Downtown Planning Citizen Advisory Committee Bylaws and Charges Bylaws are the rules and regulations of each board and commission. Each body is required by Council Operating Policy to have a stated function of purpose but not necessary bylaws; however, many committees do have them. At the April 8, 2019 work session, Council discussed standardizing committee bylaws. The idea behind standardizing the bylaws is to streamline the rules where practicable and allow each group the flexibility to adopt additional as necessary. Bylaw changes must be approved by the Council. A sample template is attached for your review. Does Council want to adopt standardized bylaws for each committee that currently has bylaws? Candidate Interviews The Council Operating Policies state that the Council will hold formal interviews of applicants for the Budget Committee, Planning Commission and MWMC. For all other positions the respective board, commission and committee shall present their top one or two candidates for each position to the Council. The Council will then hold interviews for those candidates. As a practical matter, there are often only one or two candidates for each position, but the current practice is for Council to interview all applicants for all the boards, committee and commissions including persons reapplying to serve their second term. Does Council want to continue to interview all of candidates for each board, commission and committee?  Does Council want to give the Mayor or Council Leadership the ability to reappoint committee members applying for their second term without a formal interview?  Would Council want each committee to narrow down the applicant pool to one or two top candidates for each position before interviews are scheduled? Batching Recruitments Currently, the recruitments for boards, commissions, committees occur throughout the year on an as needed basis. Some communities take a different approach and conduct recruitments twice a year. This method would allow for the City to have a more accurate overall picture of its boards, committees, and commissions and their memberships. An annual batch recruitment would require the Council to set aside work session time during one part of the year to conduct interviews. It also would mean that some vacancies would not immediately be filled. Batching would allow the Council flexibility to interview someone for one committee but determine that person may be better suited for another vacancy. One approach to annual batch recruitment is to accept applications in the fall, hold interviews in January, and appoint in February, with a Attachment 1, Page 3 of 4 MEMORANDUM Page 4 potential smaller recruitment in late summer and fall as needed to fill unexpected vacancies. Converting to a batch recruiting process would require modifying the terms of current committee members as each board, committee, and commission transitions to the new system. Is the Council interested in pursuing a batched recruiting system? Boards, Commission and Committee Guide Some Cities create a written guide as a way to educate volunteers and keep information in one central place. The guide sets out the types of boards, committees, and commissions; their rules; the appointment process; and the Council’s expectations for members a sample guide from the City of Florence is attached at Attachment 4 of this memo. Is the Council interested in creating a similar guide for Springfield? RECOMMENDED ACTION: Provide direction regarding the policy questions set out in the Council Briefing Memorandum. Attachment 1, Page 4 of 4 Attachment 2, Page 1 of 17 Attachment 2, Page 2 of 17 Attachment 2, Page 3 of 17 Attachment 2, Page 4 of 17 Attachment 2, Page 5 of 17 Attachment 2, Page 6 of 17 Attachment 2, Page 7 of 17 Attachment 2, Page 8 of 17 Attachment 2, Page 9 of 17 Attachment 2, Page 10 of 17 Attachment 2, Page 11 of 17 Attachment 2, Page 12 of 17 Attachment 2, Page 13 of 17 Attachment 2, Page 14 of 17 Attachment 2, Page 15 of 17 Attachment 2, Page 16 of 17 Attachment 2, Page 17 of 17 ____________ ADVISORY COMMITTEE BYLAWS Approved by Council _________ (date) ARTICLE I. Name and Duration This Committee, established by the Springfield City Council, shall be called __________________ Committee. This Committee will serve at the will of the City Council. ARTICLE II. Purpose and Function The purpose of the _____________ Committee is __________________________. Committee members should have an interest in _____________. The responsibilities of the Committee shall include, but are not limited to: Section 1. Section 2. Section 3. ARTICLE III. Membership Section 1. Composition of Committee. Membership of the Committee shall consist of 10-16 voting members. Non-voting members may include one City Councilor, one Planning Commissioner, and at least one City staff member. The non-voting members are in addition to the 10-16 voting members. Other non-voting guests may participate at the request of the Committee and may represent other government agencies or City departments having an interest in subject matter and goals of the Committee. Section 2. Appointment. All applicants shall complete a standard application form and submit it to the City Manager’s Office. ARTICLE IV. Officers Section 1. There shall be a Chair and a Vice-Chair for the Committee. Each officer shall serve for ________ calendar year per term. Both the Chair and Vice-Chair positions shall be elected by Committee members. Attachment 3, Page 1 of 2 SAMPLE ARTICLE V. Meetings Section 1. Regular Meetings. Regular meetings shall be held ____ times during the course of one year at Springfield City Hall, unless otherwise agreed upon. Time and duration of the meetings shall be determined by the City staff. Section 2. Special Meetings. Special meetings may be called by the Chair or by resolution of the Committee. Notice of a special meeting shall include the agenda for the meeting. Section 3. Conduct at Meetings. 60% of voting members in attendance shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any regular or special meeting. The act of the majority of the members present at a meeting at which there is a quorum shall be the act of the Committee. All meetings are open to the public and shall be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order. City staff will provide brief meeting summaries and audio recordings of meetings. Section 4. Code of Conduct. By accepting an appointment to the ________________, members agree to adhere to a Code of Conduct, which includes: 1. Share the available speaking time at meetings 2. Follow instructions of meeting facilitator 3. Be respectful of a range of opinions 4. Be respectful of all people in attendance at meetings 5. Focus on successfully completing the agreed upon agenda 6. Avoid side discussion when others are speaking 7. Voice concerns and complaints at the meeting, not outside the meeting 8. Strive for consensus 9. Adhere to same ethical and behavior standards as City employees ARTICLE VI. Amendments These Bylaws may be amended by the City Council either upon Council initiation or recommendation of a majority of the Committee made at any regular meeting on the Committee, provided that written notice of the proposed amendment shall be emailed and/or mailed to each Committee member not less than one week prior to such regular meeting of the Committee. ARTICLE VII. __________ [Placeholder for specific applicable bylaws] Attachment 3, Page 2 of 2 SAMPLE Attachment 4, Page 1 of 27 SAMPLE Attachment 4, Page 2 of 27 SAMPLE Attachment 4, Page 3 of 27 SAMPLE Attachment 4, Page 4 of 27 SAMPLE Attachment 4, Page 5 of 27 SAMPLE Attachment 4, Page 6 of 27 SAMPLE Attachment 4, Page 7 of 27 SAMPLE Attachment 4, Page 8 of 27 SAMPLE Attachment 4, Page 9 of 27 SAMPLE Attachment 4, Page 10 of 27 SAMPLE Attachment 4, Page 11 of 27 SAMPLE Attachment 4, Page 12 of 27 SAMPLE Attachment 4, Page 13 of 27 SAMPLE Attachment 4, Page 14 of 27 SAMPLE Attachment 4, Page 15 of 27 SAMPLE Attachment 4, Page 16 of 27 SAMPLE Attachment 4, Page 17 of 27 SAMPLE Attachment 4, Page 18 of 27 SAMPLE Attachment 4, Page 19 of 27 SAMPLE Attachment 4, Page 20 of 27 SAMPLE Attachment 4, Page 21 of 27 SAMPLE Attachment 4, Page 22 of 27 SAMPLE Attachment 4, Page 23 of 27 SAMPLE Attachment 4, Page 24 of 27 SAMPLE Attachment 4, Page 25 of 27 SAMPLE Attachment 4, Page 26 of 27 SAMPLE Attachment 4, Page 27 of 27 SAMPLE