15 Staff Report - Recommendations for Board, Committee, and Commission Interviews
DATE: COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT August 26, 2004 MEETING DATE: 9/7/04 ITEM NO. ) 5 TO: PROM: SUBJECT: MAYOR AND . IrL DEBRA J. FIGONE, TOWN MANAGER
# APPROVE RECOMMENDATIONS RELATED TO INTERVIEW AND APPOINTMENT PROCESS POR TOWN BOARDS, COMMITTEES, AND COMMISSIONS RECOMMENDATION: Approve recommendations related to interview and appointment
process for Town Boards, Committees, and Commissions: 1. Porm a Council subcommittee for the screening ofwritten applications for vacancies on Town Boards, Committees, and Commissions,
when the number of applications exceeds 30. When the number of applications is 30 or less, each Council member will review all applications individually. 2. Conduct oral interviews ofapplicants
at a special meeting ofthe Town Council, with appointments to be made at the next regular meeting. BACKGROUND: At its June 21 meeting, the Town Council voted to standardize the expiration
of Town Board, Committee, and Commission (referred to collectively as "commissions") terms of office so that all terms ofoffice will expire on December 31. At the same meeting, Council
approved changes to the recruitment, interview, and appointment process for commissioners. These changes included considering the use of a subcommittee to screen applications and narrow
the number of applicants interviewed by Council, and holding a special Council meeting in order to interview applicants. The purpose of this report is to provide Council with specific
recommendations for implementation of these changes to the application and appointment process. PREPARED BY: Regina A. Services Director N:\CSD\TCRPTS\Commr Screening.wpd
Reviewed by: fuAssistant Town Manager r-T-o-w-n-A-tt-o-m-er:-·'-·rw-.!-.·..,...e;tT.'"\-+-I-er-k---P-in-a-n-c-e __Community Development Revised: 8/26/04 10:11 am Reformatted:
5/30/02
PAGE 2 MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL SUBJECT: APPROVE RECOMMENDATIONS RELATED TO INTERVIEW AND APPOINTMENT PROCESS FOR TOWN BOARDS, COMMITTEES, AND COMMISSIONS August 26, 2004 DISCUSSION: As
will be discussed below, staffhas begun to make improvements to the commissioner recruitment and appointment process, following Council direction at its June 21 meeting. This report
focuses on the proposed process for paper screening of applicants, and the oral interview process. For Council reference, following is a chart of the process options, with staffs recommendation
highlighted: 2. A Council subcommittee conducts interviews at a special meeting; appointment is made by Council at its next regular meeting. C. Staffreviews applications; a selected
number is brought to Council. The current Council Policy (Attachment 1) states that Council will review all applications, and interview all applicants. Pending the decisions made by
Council at this meeting, this policy will be revised in the future to reflect the updated process. process. Recruitment Process Following Council direction, staff has made a series of
improvements to the commissioner recruitment process. A"Town ofLos Gatos Boards and Commissions" brochure has beenproduced, which gives prospective applicants general information about
commissions, and directs them to sources for more information. A companion series of brochure inserts, each with information specific to one commission, has also been prepared. The "Boards
and Commissions" page of the Town's website has been completelyrevamped; with clear, easy-to-navigate information about each commission, current vacancies, the application and appointment
process, and printable versions of each commission's application.
PAGE 3 SUBJECT: APPROVE RECOMMENDATIONS RELATED TO INTERVIEW AND APPOINTMENT PROCESS FOR TOWN BOARDS, COMMITTEES, AND COMMISSIONS August 26, 2004
In the June 21 report to Council, staffraised the possibility ofholding a "Boards and Commissions Information Night" each September, at which the role ofTown commissions would be discussed,
and information about specific commissions would be made available. Staffrecommends that this event not be held this year, but that it be part of the recruitment planning discussion
in 2005. Sunnyvale is the only city in Santa Clara County that currently holds an information night; none of the other cities have identified a need for an information night. A considerable
effort was made, in the revised materials produced for the Town's recruitment process, to answer any questions applicants might have. If, during this year's process a need for an information
night is identified, it could be incorporated into next year's process. Screening Process To complement the revised recruitment process, staff is now focused on changes to the screening
and interview processes. Improved application forms and accompanying supplemental questionnaires have been created for each commission. These new forms are designed to elicit the thorough,
commission-specific information that will be most helpful to Council in its review of applicants. Once applications are received, staff performs a preliminary review, to check that an
applicant fulfills eligibility requirements. The next step would be a full paper screening of applications. Staff conducted a survey of Santa Clara County jurisdictions, regarding their
recruitment, application, and screening processes. Attachment 2 is a summary ofthe survey findings. As shown .in the survey findings, jurisdictions conduct paper screenings of applicants
in a variety of ways, including through a Council subcommittee, through the entire Council, and by a non-Council committee. Staffrecommends that a two-step approach would best fit the
needs ofLos Gatos. The goal ofthe paper screening, as discussed at the June 21 meeting, is to limit the number of applicants to those that may reasonably be interviewed in one evening.
Therefore, staff suggests that if the number of applications were 30 or less, each Council member would review every application, which would be provided as part ofthe meeting agenda
packet. If the number of applications were greater than 30, a Council subcommittee would be formed to review the applications, and reduce the number to be reviewed by the full Council
as part ofits meeting agenda packet. The number of 30 applications was chosen in order to limit the number of applicants to those that could be interviewed comfortably in one evening.
Given an average interview time of 5 minutes, 30 applicants could be interviewed in 2.5 hours. Once time for opening and closing the meeting, general comments, and periodic breaks is
added, a meeting might easily be 3 hours long. Staff suggests that this is a good meeting length; length; planning a meeting of 4 or more hours would not be beneficial to the applicants
or to Council.
PAGE 4 SUBJECT: APPROVE RECOMMENDATIONS RELATED TO INTERVIEW AND APPOINTMENT PROCESS FOR TOWN BOARDS, COMMITTEES, AND COMMISSIONS August 26, 2004
Interview Process Council's current policy is to interview all applicants at a public meeting. There are several ways this might be accomplished, including a public meeting of staff,
a public meeting of a Council subcommittee, or a Council meeting. Staffrecommends that interviews be held at a special meeting ofthe full Council, with appointments to be made at the
next following regular meeting. The special meeting would not be televised, which staffbelieves would contribute to the comfort ofapplicants, who are not necessarily accustomed to public
speaking. It would promote a more relaxed, cooperative atmosphere for Council and applicants to interact. The appointments would be made at a regular, televised, Council meeting, so
that all Town residents could view the vote and any discussion, if they chose. This year, the special meeting for applicant interviews would be held October 25, and appointments would
be made at the regular meeting November 1. The new commissioners' terms will begin January 1. Alternatively, interviews could be conducted by a Council subcommittee, as shown in the
table of options on page 2 of this report. Vacancy Process The commissioner recruitment and appointment process as outlined in this report will provide a standard, streamlined way offilling
the regular vacancies that will occur at the end ofeach year. It will also be important to have a process for filling unplanned vacancies that occur throughout the year. The Maddy Act
requires that vacancies be advertised no less than 20 days after they occur, and that vacancies be filled no sooner than 10 days after advertisement. Therefore, we cannot plan regular
advertisement of vacancies throughout the year; advertisements will happen as vacancies occur. However, to the degree possible, staff suggests that the interviews of applicants for vacancies
be bundled together, and brought to Council two or three times per year. This would reduce the amount of Council meeting time spent on interviewing applicants, as well as reducing the
attendant staff work required. In the case that a vacancy needed to be filled immediately, of course, an interview would be scheduled as soon as possible. Notice of vacancies would be
sent to all who applied during the regular recruitment period; newspaper advertisements and related media would also be used. CONCLUSION: Staffrequests that Council approve its recommendations
related to the interview and appointment process for Town Boards, Committees, and Commissions; specifically:
PAGES SUBJECT: APPROVE RECOMMENDATIONS RELATED TO INTERVIEW AND APPOINTMENT PROCESS FOR TOWN BOARDS, COMMITTEES, AND COMMISSIONS August 26, 2004
1. Fonn a Council subcommittee for the screening ofwritten applications for vacancies on Town Boards, Committees, and Commissions, when the number of applications exceeds 30. When the
number of applications is 30 or less, each Council member will review all applications individually. 2. Conduct oral interviews ofapplicants at a special meeting ofthe Town Council,
with appointments to be made at the next regular meeting. 3. The Clerk's Office will continue to handle all aspects of the recruitment and appointment process. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT:
The recommended actions are not a project defined under CEQA, and no further action is required. FISCAL llVIPACT: The recommended actions will not have any additional fiscal impact to
the Town. Commissioner recruitment, selection, and appointment costs are included in the approved FY 2004/05 Operating Budget. Attachments: 1. Town Council Policy, Commission Appointments
2. Board and Commission Procedures, Santa Clara County Jurisdictions Distribution: Susan Buxton, Volunteer Services Coordinator
Attachment 1 TOWN COUNCIL POLICY TOWN OF LOS GATOS Subject: Commission Appointments Page: 1 of 3 Effective Date: 2/28/90 Section Number: Revised Date: 6/13/94 To establish a policy to·
encourage participation by the residents on Town Boards, Commissions and Committees. Residents will be encouraged to participate on Town Boards, Commissions and Committees
by advertising vacancies to Boards , Commissions and Committees for at least 30 days, preparing attractive, easily understood applications, maintaining clear descriptions of the role
of each Commission/Board and Committee and· Commissioners/Committee and· Board Members, and conducting public interviews of an Commission/Board and Committee applicants. SCOPE· This
policy applies to all applicants to a Town Board, Commission and Committee. POLICY The Town Council encourages public participation in all decision making. To be successful in achieving
public participation, residents must be assured that the participation is meaningful and that their input will be valued. The widest representation from the community can only be achieved
if vacancies are well advertised so that anyone interested will have the opportunity to apply. Public interviewing of the applicants by the Town Council demonstrates that the Council
values .these appointments and that everyone has an equal opportunity to be appointed. To ensure the greatest possible participation by the. public, it is the Town's policy that no person
be appointed to two or more Town Boards, Commission or Committees except in those cases where they are ex-officio members of other Boards, Commissions and Committees. This policy does
not apply to Boards, Commission and Committee members serving as representatives of their Boards, Commissions and Committees on joint committees such as the Conceptual Review Committee
and the General Plan Committee.
2. APPLICANT ADMINMANOl A:\COUNCIL\COMMAPPT Rev 6/13/94) (2) If an applicant is requesting reappointment to a Town Board, Commission or Committee, applicant will be reinterviewed, or
submit a letter for distribution to the Council prior to the interviews, describing the reason why applicant cannot be present for an interview. d. Accept applications and distribute
copies of· the applications to the Town Council with the Council packet prior to the interviews for appointment. e. Notify the applicant by letter as to the date and time of the interview:
.. f. After the interviews are completed, notify all applicants of the Council's action, and explain Town policy of keeping application active for two years with notification of subsequent
openings on that commission to the interested applicants. a. Complete and submit to the Town Clerk the .application for· appointment to a Town Commission, Board or Committee. b. Attend
Council meeting to be interviewed for appointment to the Commission, Board or Committee. c. If a Commission, Board or· Committee member is requesting reappointment to a Town Commission,
Board or Committee and cannot be present for the interview, submit a letter to the Town Clerk by Friday prior to the interview, describing why applicant cannot be present for the interview.
d. If appointed, prior to attending next Commission, Board or Committee meeting, see Town Clerk to take "Oath of Office" and file any documents required by the Fair Political Practices
Commission. -3-
Board and Commission Procedures Santa Clara County Jurisdictions Attachment 2 Recruitment and Info Jurisdiction Application Screening Type Screening Process Term Expiration night? Advertisement
online, Paper application, Council subcommittee screens August, October, or Campbell in office; vacancy oral interview. applicants. Council interviews December, by No notice in newspaper.
selected applicants. commission. Advertisement online, Paper application, Council interviews and appoints Cupertino in office. Annual December 31 No vacancy notices sent. oral interview.
applicants. Gilroy Advertisement online application, Council interviews and appoints December 31 No and in office. oral interview. applicants. Milpitas Online application.
Paper application, Mayor screens applicants. Council Throughout year No oral interview. interviews selected applicants. Advertisement online Paper application, Council interviews applicants;
Morgan Hill and in office. oral interview. selection determined on a point Throughout year No system rated by Council. Mountain Paper application, Council subcommittee screens Online
application. applicants. Council interviews September No View oral interview. selected applicants. Advertisement in City Write a letter and Council reviews letters and Monte Sereno include
2 December 31 No newsletter. recommendations interviews chosen applicants. Advertisement online Paper application, Council subcommittee selects and Los Altos interviews applicants; Council
July No and in office. oral interview. appoints. Applications online June, July, Palo Alto and in office; Paper application, Council selects applicants for September, and No advertisement
in oral interview. interviews and appoints by voting. December newspaper. Advertisement online Paper application, Council interviews and appoints Throughout year, Santa Clara most in
July (end of No and in office. oral interview. applicants. fiscal year) Advertisement online Applications reviewed by project Paper application, diversity committee, then then Rules
June 30 and San Jose and in newspaper; oral interview. Committee, then recommendation to December 31 No flyers twice a year. Council for vote. Advertisement online, Paper application,
Council interviews and appoints Saratoga television, newpaper, oral interview. applicants. Mayor advises applicants April and October No council reports. of outcome. Advertisement online
Paper application, Clerk schedules interviews for Most in July Yes; Sunnyvale and in newspaper. oral interview. Council to screen and select. spring N:\CSD\Boards and Commissions\Bds
& Com Screen Process