CITY COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM

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Department:

City Manager’s Office

Commission Meeting Date:  Sept. 19, 2017

Staff Contact:

Diane Stoddard, Assistant City Manager

Recommendations/Options/Action Requested:

 

Adopt Resolution No. 7224 establishing the City of Lawrence policy relating to advisory boards and committees of the City of Lawrence. 

 

Executive Summary:

One of the priority initiatives adopted with the Strategic Plan was the review of advisory boards and commissions with a desire to create more standardization of the various advisory boards and commissions.  On August 8, 2017, the City Commission received a staff report and a draft policy relating to advisory boards and committees. 

 

The draft policy provides standard procedures for:

·         How appointments are made;

·         Calls for orientation of new members;

·         Provides a mechanism for the removal of members given poor attendance,

·         Requires City Commission approval of bylaws;

·         Requires the public posting of agendas, minutes and use of email distribution list;

·         Does not allow regular part-time and full-time city employees to serve as voting members on boards given the potential conflict such service creates; and

·         Requires public comment on agenda items unless otherwise specified in the legislation that creates the board.

 

Based on the feedback received by the City Commission at the work session, staff also added the following to the draft policy:

·         Terms of appointment are limited to two consecutive three-year terms, with exceptions made for reasons stated at time of appointment;

·         Specifies that City Commissioners won’t serve as voting members on advisory boards, but may serve on governing boards;

·         Staff also added a clarification regarding city employee service on boards recognizing that when a city employee serves as an elected official of another jurisdiction they may be appointed by that jurisdiction to serve on joint boards or committees which serve multiple jurisdictions and that such service is appropriate.

 

All the changes made to the draft policy since the August 8 meeting are shown in yellow highlighting in the resolution. 

 

Staff recommends adoption of the policy.

 

Strategic Goal Area:

Effective Performance & Professional Administration- advisory board review was one of the priority initiatives under this critical success factor. 

Fiscal Impact (Amount/Source):

There is no fiscal impact to the City related to this policy.

Attachments:

Resolution No. 7224