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.
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____________ 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]
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