Title
New Member Application Review Process
Recommended Action
Move to review new member applications before the January BPAC meeting, rank each member according to the BPAC’s criteria, and submit the ranking to the staff liaison by January 8th.
Report
Issue:
Whether to follow an established process for reviewing and recommending new members to the BPAC or create a different one.
Staff Contact:
Michelle Swanson, AICP, Senior Planner, Public Works | Transportation, 360.753.8575.
Presenter(s):
Michelle Swanson
Background and Analysis:
Review process
The City is recruiting to fill two positions on the BPAC for 2024. All City advisory committees are asked to review new member applications and make a recommendation to the Community Livability and Safety Committee on who should fill the vacancies.
In the past, the full BPAC has reviewed the applications and decided on a recommendation during the January meeting. This has taken a lot of time, particularly when there have been several vacancies and applications. The last time the BPAC reviewed new member applications, the committee followed this process:
1. Committee members scored each applicant according to criteria the BPAC had previously decided
2. Members submitted the scores to the staff liaison before the January meeting
3. The staff liaison included the results of the scores in the meeting packet
This process worked smoothly, and members responded well to it. Therefore, staff recommends this approach again. Please note that the recruitment period ends in mid-December, so it is likely that part of the review will need to occur during the winter holidays.
If the BPAC would prefer to take a different approach, it could form a subcommittee to review the applications and come prepared with a recommendation to the January meeting.
Ranking criteria
Last year, the BPAC refined its review criteria to:
• Unique perspective
• Engagement in walking, biking, and transit
• Interest in community involvement
Members rated applicants on a scale of 1-5 for each criterion.
Additionally, the BPAC has expressed interest in having fairly even geographic representation, so staff will provide a general idea of which area each applicant lives in.
Please note that the ranking criteria are a guide. There may be applicants members think would be strong additions to the committee for reasons that are not covered by the criteria. There will be time on the agenda in January to discuss the applicants, and staff encourages members to share their thoughts.
Climate Analysis:
There is no direct impact to the climate from this item.
Equity Analysis:
Staff anonymizes the applications to try to remove some obvious sources of bias, such as names and addresses. However, people who work in the evenings, who are not fluent in English, who may have caregiving responsibilities or any number of other barriers are not able to participate on City advisory committees.
Options:
Option 1: review new member applications before the January BPAC meeting, rank each member according to the BPAC’s criteria, and submit the ranking to the staff liaison by January 8th. This is the recommended option.
Option 2: create a subcommittee to review the new member applications and come prepared with the recommendation to the January 17th meeting.
Option 3: review new member applications before the January BPAC meeting, rank each member according to the BPAC’s criteria, and come prepared to share the results and discuss them at the January 17th meeting. This is not recommended, due to the amount of time it has taken in the past.
Financial Impact:
There is no financial impact from this item.
Attachments:
None