Boards and commissions provide an opportunity for residents to participate in the decision-making process of the City Council. The primary role of boards and commissions is to advise and make recommendations to the City Council on matters within their established purpose. The interaction between the City Council and boards and commissions is important and necessary to share information and recommendations. Staff would like to formalize a consistent process by which the Council and their boards and commissions communicate with each other.

At the Work Session of April 9, 2019, Council gave direction to staff to develop and provide some options on how interactions with boards and commissions can be improved. Based on the feedback from Council the following are options to consider:

1. Council representative assigned to each board or commission

• Council representative will attend assigned commission meetings as desired.
• Staff Liaisons will email all agendas and minutes to their Council representative.
• Council representative will review agendas and minutes from the Staff Liaison and/or meet jointly with the Staff Liaison and the Commission Chair to receive any necessary information.
• Council representative will report to Council during "Council Liaison Reports" as needed to pass information, forthcoming recommendations, and requests for information back and forth.

2. No Council representative

• Councilmembers will attend commission meetings as desired.
• Staff Liaisons will email all agendas and minutes to the entire Council.
• Requests for information can be made during "To/From" at a Council Meeting or through the City Manager.

3. Formal Updates from Commissions

• Special meeting dedicated solely to board and commission updates each quarter.
• Commissions are divided up between four meetings.
  • Five Tuesday months
  • Four regularly scheduled Work Sessions throughout the year
  • Four Special Meetings throughout the year

To provide consistency in how Council requests information from boards and commissions and how boards and commissions communicate recommendations to Council, staff is recommending the following processes:

1. Requests from Council to boards or commissions

• Request is made at a Council meeting during "To/From" or "Council Liaison Reports" (depending on decision of Council representatives) with a majority head nod from Council; or
• Request is made through the City Manager.

2. Recommendations to Council from a board or commission

• All recommendations from any board or commission are submitted in written format by the Staff Liaison and routed through their respective Divisions and the City Manager's Office before being presented to Council for consideration.
• Recommendations will be presented to Council in a manner prescribed by the City Manager.

Council direction will be formalized and documented in the Board and Commission Member Manual as well as the Staff Liaison Manual which will both come to you for final consideration and possible approval.

Attached you will find a listing of all boards and commissions, their meeting times, and their purpose as established by ordinance or other authority.