Attachment 2 - March 23, 2021 Council Policy Committee Staff Report
PREPARED BY: Shelley Neis
Town Clerk ATTACHMENT 2
Reviewed by: Town Manager, Assistant Town Manager, and Town Attorney
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 406-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
COUNCIL POLICY COMMITTEE REPORT
MEETING DATE: 03/23/2021
ITEM NO: 4
DATE: March 15, 2021
TO: Council Policy Committee
FROM: Laurel Prevetti, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Review and Provide Direction on Proposed Modifications to the Commission
Appointment Policy
RECOMMENDATION:
Review and provide direction on proposed modifications to the Commission Appointment
Policy.
BACKGROUND:
The Committee directed staff to bring the Commission Appointment Policy 2-11 to the March
Policy Committee meeting for discussion and to add language to encourage diversity, equity,
and inclusion in the recruitment and appointment process.
At the February 23, 2021 meeting, the Policy Committee reflected on the recent experience of
the Finance Commission recruitment and reviewed the Commission enabling resolutions. Of
note, the Committee expressed concern that if the Town has specific requirements for
Commissioners (e.g., public health background for the Community Health and Senior Services
Commission, arts professional for the Arts and Culture Commission, etc.) that the Town may
have trouble attracting candidates. In addition, the current Policy has specific requirements
which must also be taken into consideration when making appointments.
DISCUSSION:
Per Town Policy 2-11, the Town Clerk prepares and maintains applications for appointment to
Commissions. The Town Clerk typically receives applications to Commissions throughout the
year. Currently, while the Policy Committee and Commissions are reviewing applications for
possible modifications, the application links have been disabled for all but the Youth
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SUBJECT: Commission Appointment Policy
DATE: March 15, 2021
DISCUSSION (continued):
Commission, which is currently undergoing recruitment. An adult applicant can apply for as
many Commissions as they would like, but are required to complete separate applications, and
can only serve on one Commission at a time. Each Commission’s application has questions
specific to the Commission. In some cases, certain Commissions receive many applications
while other Commissions do not have any applicants.
The Town holds its annual adult recruitment and appointment process in the fall, with mid-year
recruitments held in early spring if necessary. In accordance with State Law, the Town Clerk
posts a list of current vacancies on the Town website and on the front door of Town Hall
throughout the year. During the recruitment cycle, the Town Clerk advertises the current
vacancies in various media (Leadership Los Gatos, Chamber of Commerce, Los Gatos Weekly
ads, Town website, What’s New email blast, social media, KCAT, Town events, etc.) to inform
residents and encourage participation. The Clerk also notifies applicants from the last 12
months who were not interviewed or were not appointed by Council of the vacancy to
determine if they are still interested. If the applicant is interested, they are placed in the
applicant pool for the next scheduled interviews by Council.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI)
The Commission applications could be modified to include questions about how the
Commission could address diversity, equity, and inclusion without asking specific race,
nationality, ethnicity, gender, or age of the applicant.
Term Limits/Appointments
The Policy Committee has previously discussed term limits and at that time was not in favor of
them, due in part because Council did not have term limits, and because it was felt it would
hinder the Town’s ability to have fully staffed Commissions.
Term limits have pros and cons. Pros would be new perspectives and ideas with the regular
turn over of Commissioners. Cons would be losing institutional knowledge and potentially
smaller Commissions because the number of applicants may be reduced.
Council has the difficult task of balancing the need to keep institutional knowledge while
encouraging new interest and ideas. By not defaulting to appoint an incumbent when there are
other qualified applicants, this practice could potentially encourage more applicants to apply.
As with Council candidates, it can be perceived that incumbents will always be appointed
thereby discouraging potential applicants.
Options for the Committee to discuss:
• Should there be a certain percentage of incumbents versus new Commissioners on each
Commission?
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SUBJECT: Commission Appointment Policy
DATE: March 15, 2021
DISCUSSION (continued):
• Should there be at least two incumbents on each Commission to maintain the
institutional knowledge?
Interview Process
To ensure the interview process is fair and equitable, staff recommends each applicant be
asked the same core questions for the particular Commission. If time permits, the applicant
could be asked to expand on an answer and/or address additional questions (not of a personal
nature unless it pertains to experience). Staff recommends the Town Clerk and staff liaisons
work together to provide suggested questions for each Commission to the Committee for
review.
CONCLUSION:
Staff looks forward to the Committee’s discussion and direction for potential modifications to
the Policy.
COORDINATION:
The preparation of this report was coordinated with the Town Manager’s Office and the Town
Attorney.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT:
This is not a project defined under CEQA, and no further action is required.
Attachment:
1. Commission Appointment Policy 2-11