HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-25-21 Public Comment - K. Thane - Board ConsolidationFrom:Kevin Thane
To:Agenda
Subject:Public Comment for 5/25/21 Commission Meeting
Date:Tuesday, May 25, 2021 10:28:59 AM
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Commissioners:
Having studied the supporting document for tonight’s work session dealing with the restructuring ofthe City’s Advisory Boards I have several concerns.
1. The dilution of the ability of Board members to provide well researched and thought-out input. As an example of this, the members of the proposed Sustainability Board are todeal with social sustainability, economic sustainability, and environmental sustainability. Each of these areas will take hours of education and study on the part of the board memberin order to provide meaningful, cogent input. Asking volunteers to commit the timenecessary to provide truly informed input will require many hours outside of the Boardmeetings that many volunteers don’t have the time to give.2. Limiting service to two terms causes an experience void on the board, removes theability to have board members with a long term, historical perspective, and will limit theopportunity to learn from past successes and mistakes.3. The proposed revisions exacerbate the shortfalls of currently existing boardcommunication options which severely limit engagement of the board with the City. Thesestrategies will continue to force the direction of decisions included in the purview of theboards to be dominated by City Staff opinions, minimizing public input and engagement. Icite the following from the document attached to the 5/25/21 Commission Agenda thatpresents the Proposed revisions to the Advisory Boards structure that are counter to theStrategic Plan goal listed on page 1 of the document, “Restructure or combine City boardsand committees to more effectively advise the city and engage (emphasis added) thepublic.” a. Page 3, Article B.5 “Board members must communicate to the Commission only(emphasis added) when that member is expressly authorized to speak on behalf ofthe board.b. Page 3 Article B.6 “Board members must only (emphasis added) communicatethe board’s final, formal recommendation to the Commission.c. Page 3 Article B.3 “Board chairs must communicate with the staff liaison onmatters related to the board;”. This limits the City staff with whom the board chaircan communicate and precludes communication with City staff by board membersother than the chair.d. Page 3 Article B.7 “Exceptions to the communication channels will be limited tomatters of scheduling;”.e. Page 3 Article C.4 “Agendas will be created by the staff liaison with collaborationfrom the board chair …”. This puts the staff in charge of the board. This shouldread, Agendas will be created by the board chair with collaboration from the staffliaison …”f. Page 4 Article E.1 “Commission liaison: (will) serve as a contact rather than anadvocate.”g. Page 2 Article 3 “Board officers will be appointed by the City Commission;”. Theboard itself is in a better position to choose the board officers due to the interactionof the board with its members.