08 Staff Report - Council Appointed Boards, Committees, and Commissions
DATE: COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT JUNE 2, 2004 MEETING DATE: 6/21104 ITEM NO. 'b TO: FROM: SUBJECT: MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL DEBRA J. FIGONE, TOWN MANAGER COUNCIL APPOINTED BOARDS, COMMITTE
D COMMISSIONS A. APPROVE STANDARDIZING THE EXPIRATION OF TERMS OF OFFICE B. APPROVE CHANGES TO THE RECRUITMENT AND APPOINTMENT PROCESS RECOMMENDATION: 1. Accept the recommendationto
the expiration ofTown Board, Committee, and Commission (referred to collectively as "commissions") Terms of Office so that all Terms of Office will expire on December
31. 2. Approve the recommended changes to the recruitment, interview, and appointment process of commissioners. BACKGROUND: Currently, the Town Council appoints members to 14 different
commissions. Because these commissions have Terms of Office that expire in 7 different months, it is necessary to recruit, interview, and appoint members throughout the year. In order
to streamline this process, staff proposes that all terms expire on December 31. The commissions would still have terms expiring in different years to retain the mix of new commissioners
with experienced commissioners. This proposal would not apply to student commissioners, whose terms will continue to be aligned with the school year. The proposal was discussed and approved
by the Executive Team in February 2004. Because implementation of the proposal would require extending or shortening current commissioners' terms, feedback from the commissioners was
vital. Each commissioner received a memo from the Town Manager outlining the proposed changes. In March and April 2004 stafffrom the Community Services Department met with each commission
at a regularly scheduled commission meeting to discuss the proposal and receive comments. The proposal received overall support from the PREPARED BY: ReginaA. Fal Community S Director
Reviewed by: Town,Manager -iH"'::;" own Attorney __Clerk. F,inance __' Community Development__'_PPW Police
PAGE 2 MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL SUBJECT: COUNCIL APPOINTED BOARDS, COMMITTEES, AND COMMISSIONS June 2,2004 Commissioners, as well as administrative suggestions concerning its implementation.
Council was presented with the proposal at the April 2004 Council/Commission Retreat. Council indicated support for the proposal, and gave suggestions and recommendations for implt:mentation.
DISCUSSION: Standardizing the expiration ofcommissioners' terms ofoffice to December 31 would necessitate changes to the process of recruiting and appointing commissioners. Aligning
the expiration dates would allow for one concentrated period ofrecruitment and advertising ofvacancies. Appointments could be made once a year, and all newly appointed commissioners
'could receive orientation and training as a group. The following discussion outlines the proposed changes to the recruitment and appointment process in detail. Recruitment and Marketing
Recruitment of cpmmission members would begin every year in August, in advance of the application deadline in October. A marketing plan has been devised both to advertise vacancies and
to educate the community about the role ofcommissions in Town government. Vacancies would be advertised in the local papers with ads and press releases on the Town website, and on KCAT,
beginning in August. A Boards and Commissions Information Night would be held in September; the role of Town commissions would be discussed, and information about specific commissions
would be made available. Other agencies' newsletters, speaking opportunities, and the Town Hall meetings could also present opportunities to recruit candidates and educate the community.
It is hoped that through this repeated yearly recruitment campaign, enough applications will be submitted each year to create a pool of applicants to be tapped when unexpected vacancies
occur during the year. Interviews It is proposed that Council hold one special meeting to interview qualified applicants. In researching other cities' best practices, it was found that
some cities use a subcommittee (consisting of two Council Members) to applications and narrow the number of applicants interviewed by Council. Staffrecoinmends that this
process be adopted with the objective oflimiting the number ofinterviews to those that canbe reasonably held in one evening (approximately three hours). Staff is also evaluating our
application and supplemental questionnaire to make sure each candidate's qualifications are clearly reflected on paper. IfCouncil would prefer not to use a subcommittee, then two special
meetings should be scheduled to conduct interviews. Appointment All appointments to commissions would be made at the last Council meeting in November. As requested by Council, this will
ensure' that the appointments are made by Council experienced in working with commissions. '
PAGE 3 MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL SUBJECT: COUNCIL APPOINTED BOARDS, COMMITTEES, AND COMMISSIONS June 2,2004 2004 Recruitment, Interview, and Appointment Schedule The following is a draft
timeline for' 2004, reflecting the above-proposed recruitment, interview, and appointment process: August September 14 September 23 September 28 October 8 October 25 November 8 November
15 CONCLUSION: Advertisement begins -press release to local papers, Town website, KCAT Ad in Los Gatos Weekly-Times Boards & Commissions Information Night at the Neighborhood Center
Ad in Los Gatos Weekly-Times Applications due Special meeting of Council to interview candidates Special meeting of Council to interview (if desired) Appointment
of commissioners by Courtcil It is recommended that Council accept the recommendation that the Terms of Office fOf all Town Boards, Committees, and Commissions expire on December 31;
and approve the proposed recruitment and appointment process. Ifcouncil approves the changes to the term term ofoffice, staffwill return to Council with changes to enabling resolution
and the Town Code, as necessary, to reflect the changed terms. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT: The recommended actions are not projects defined under CEQA, and no further action is required.
FISCAL IMPACT: No additional fiscal impact to the Town will result from the recommended actions. Distribution: Arts Commission members Art Selection Panel members Architectural Standards
Committee members Building Board of Appeals members CommunityServices Commission members County Council on Aging members General Plan Committee members N:\CSD\TCRPTS\tenns ofoffice.wpd
Historic Preservation Committee members Library Board members Parks Commission members Planning Commission members Personnel Board members Rent Advisory Committee members Transportation
and Parking Commission members