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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFinal Adoption of Ordinance 1864, removing the Bozeman Senior Citizens Advisory Board Commission Memorandum REPORT TO: Honorable Mayor and City Commission FROM: Aimee Brunckhorst, Deputy City Clerk / Public Engagement Coordinator SUBJECT: Final Adoption of Ordinance No. 1864, removing all sections of Chapter 2, Article 5, Division 13, removing the Bozeman Senior Citizens’ Advisory Board MEETING DATE: March 18, 2013 MEETING TYPE: Consent RECOMMENDED MOTION: I move to finally adopt Ordinance No. 1864, removing all sections of Bozeman Municipal Code Chapter 2, Article 5, Division 13, thus removing the Senior Citizens’ Advisory Board from the Code. BACKGROUND: Provisional adoption of this Ordinance occurred March 4, 2013. The Senior Citizens’ Advisory Board was created by the City Commission to advice staff and the Commissioners on senior related issues. This format for seeking information from the senior population has had very limited results. Monthly meetings take staff, commission and volunteer resources. Volunteer board members have struggled with a lack of direction from the city and it has been difficult over the years to keep positions filled and quorums met. Staff feels the purpose of the board – seeking advice and information from the senior population – could be better accomplished with less formal avenues using the existing resources within the community. Staff would propose that the clerk’s office reach out and forge relationships with organizations such as the Senior Center Board and staff, the staff and residents of senior living facilities and non- profits such as Befrienders and HRDC that serve the senior population. These groups could easily serve the function of advising the Commission and staff without using many in-house city resources. The Deputy City Clerk is currently forming a working team to develop a variety of processes for public engagement. After these processes are developed, the deputy city clerk can evaluate which processes will work best to engage citizens on senior related issues. On January 15, 2013 deputy city clerk Aimee Brunckhorst contacted Judy Morrill, long time Executive Director of the Bozeman Senior Center to get her input on this idea. Ms. Morrill said that the Senior Center Board and staff would be happy to review and discuss any senior issues that the Commission or city staff would like to be advised on. The Senior Center reaches 1800 people in the community and other senior related organizations would be a connection to many more people and would offer a variety of perspectives. 103 Commission staff liaison Cyndy Andrus spoke with the Bozeman Senior Citizens’ Advisory Board members during their January meeting about the possibility of disbanding the board. They spoke regarding using other resources such as a senior living facility to either start a board or join existing boards or groups that cover senior related issues. They discussed the increased flexibility this might offer in the way meetings are held and conducted. A much more informal and participatory model could be used and the meeting locations and formats could move and change as need dictated. Commissioner Andrus assured the Board that if this idea were pursued the staff and Commission would still be available for board members to share information and ideas with. UNRESOLVED ISSUES: The working team to develop multiple processes for public engagement will be charged with determining what processes would be most appropriate to engage citizens in senior citizen related issues. These processes are yet to be established. In the meantime, the Commission and staff will reach out to existing senior groups for advice. ALTERNATIVES: The City Commission could wait until a robust public participation process has been fully developed by the working team prior to removing this board. FISCAL EFFECTS: 1 page of the BMC will need to be revised as an effect of this Ordinance. Codification costs $22 per page plus $25 per Ordinance, for a total of $47. Attachments: Draft Ordinance No. 1864 Report drafted on March 3, 2013 104 1 of 3 ORDINANCE NO. 1864 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF BOZEMAN, MONTANA, AMENDING THE BOZEMAN MUNICIPAL CODE BY REMOVING ALL SECTIONS WITHIN CHAPTER 2, ARTICLE 5, DIVISION 13, SENIOR CITIZENS’ ADVISORY BOARD AND HOLDING DIVISION 13 AS RESERVED. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF BOZEMAN, MONTANA: Section 1 Legislative Intent. City staff and the City Commission recognize the unique needs of the Bozeman senior population and the importance of soliciting advice from members of the public and senior citizen groups on senior related issues. However, with the presence of other senior citizen boards, interest groups and non-profits dedicated to the well-being of seniors within the community the senior citizens’ advisory board is no longer necessary for this intent. Instead, staff and the commission will ask that existing sources advice the commission both individually and as a group through normal channels of public comment and city involvement. The clerk’s office will foster relationships with these boards and organizations within the community to encourage collaboration and the sharing of information. Section 2 That the table of contents of Chapter 2, Article 5 of the Bozeman Municipal Code be amended as follows: ARTICLE 5. - BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS DIVISION 13. - SENIOR CITIZENS' ADVISORY BOARD RESERVED Section 3 That Sections 2.05.2300, 2.05.2310, 2.05.2320, 2.05.2330 and 2.05.2340-2.05.2490 be removed from the Bozeman Municipal Code. 105 Ordinance No. 1864, Removing the Senior Citizens’ Advisory Board 2 of 3 Repealer. All provisions of the ordinances of the City of Bozeman in conflict with the provisions of this ordinance are, and the same are hereby, repealed and all other provisions of the ordinances of the City of Bozeman not in conflict with the provisions of this ordinance shall remain in full force and effect. Section 4 Savings Provision. This ordinance does not affect the rights and duties that matured, penalties that were incurred or proceedings that were begun before the effective date of this ordinance. All other provision of the Bozeman Municipal Code not amended by this Ordinance shall remain in full force and effect. Section 5 Severability. That should any sentence, paragraph, subdivision, clause, phrase or section of this ordinance be adjudged or held to be unconstitutional, illegal, or invalid, the same shall not affect the validity of this ordinance as a whole, or any part or provision thereof, other than the part so decided to be invalid, illegal or unconstitutional, and shall not affect the validity of the Bozeman Municipal Code as a whole. Section 6 Codification Instruction. The provisions of Section 2 and 3 shall be codified as appropriate in Chapter 2.05 of the Bozeman Municipal Code. Section 7 Effective Date. This ordinance shall be in full force and effect 30 days after final adoption. 106 Ordinance No. 1864, Removing the Senior Citizens’ Advisory Board 3 of 3 PROVISIONALLY ADOPTED by the City Commission of the City of Bozeman, Montana, on first reading at a regular session held on the 14th day of March, 2013. ____________________________________ SEAN A. BECKER Mayor ATTEST: ____________________________________ STACY ULMEN, CMC City Clerk FINALLY PASSED, ADOPTED AND APPROVED by the City Commission of the City of Bozeman, Montana on second reading at a regular session thereof held on the 18th day of March, 2013. The effective date of this ordinance is April 17, 2013. _________________________________ SEAN A. BECKER Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ STACY ULMEN, CMC City Clerk APPROVED AS TO FORM: _________________________________ GREG SULLIVAN City Attorney 107