Title
Approval of an Ordinance Amending Advisory Committee and Commission Membership
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
General Government Committee unanimously recommends amending Municipal Code regarding the number of members on certain advisory committees and commissions and their appointment by the City Council.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve on second reading the attached ordinance recommended by General Government Committee.
Report
Issue:
Shall the number of members be changed as recommended by General Government Committee?
Staff Contact:
Cathie Butler, Communications Manager, 360.753.8361
Presenter(s):
None. Consent Calendar Item.
Background and Analysis:
The background and analysis have not changed from first to second reading of the ordinance.
Number of Committee Members:
In 2012, General Government Committee recommended and Council approved changing the number of members on the Planning Commission from 11 to 9. When developing the recommendation, General Government Committee, with assistance from Councilmember Langer, discussed qualities of high performing committees, including optimum number of members. Staff also researched committee size in other Washington State communities and determined that most advisory committees and commissions have between 7 and 9 members, unless additional members are needed for certain tasks or a specific number is required by State law.
General Government also discussed this topic with advisory committee chairs in 2013 and 2014, and again at its March 18, 2015 meeting. Other than the Heritage Commission which has some task-oriented subcommittees due to the regulatory nature of its work, committee chairs concurred with the 9 member proposal.
Cross-Committee Appointments and Liaisons:
In addition, the chairs of Planning Commission and the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee asked that General Government discuss changing the long standing ordinance requirement for some committees to appoint members to other committees. They noted:
· The high work load of some committees, particularly the Planning Commission;
· The challenge and volunteer burden of fully serving and participating on two committees; and
· Quorum issues that occasionally arise when a designated member from one committee is not able to attend all meetings of the other group.
They suggested that all members be appointed directly by the Council. They also noted that consistent with past practice, individual committees may informally designate liaisons to other committees for communication purposes.
Here is the current list of ordinance-required appointments from within existing members:
· Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee appoints one member to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee;
· Planning Commission appoints one member each to Design Review Board, Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, and Utility Advisory Committee.
General Government Committee Recommendations:
· Change the number of members from 11 to 9 for the Arts Commission, Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, and Utility Advisory Committee.
· Keep the membership as currently stated for the Heritage Commission ("up to 11 members"); Design Review Board (7 members, of which 2 are architects); Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (5 members required by State law); and Planning Commission (9 members).
· Remove the cross-committee appointment requirements, with all appointments made directly by the City Council.
The attached ordinance:
· Repeals the specific BPAC, PRAC, and UAC membership sections since membership requirements apply uniformly in OMC 2.100.040.A unless otherwise stipulated;
· Amends the Heritage Commission membership to remove the residency requirement to be consistent with all other city committees. Residency is addressed uniformly in OMC 2.100.040.B; and
· Removes the cross-committee appointment requirements.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
N/A
Options:
Approve, amend, or do not approve the recommended ordinance.
Financial Impact:
None.