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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 3949 CITY OF PALO ALTO OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK August 12, 2013 The Honorable City Council Palo Alto, California From the Policy and Services Committee Boards and Commissions Recruitment Program Revisions Recommendation Staff recommends that Council approve the Policy and Services Committee recommendations to adopt an ordinance and resolutions (Attachment A) updating the Boards and Commissions Recruitment Program by: 1) realigning Board and Commission terms to match a biannual recruitment schedule, with the Human Relations Commission, Library Advisory Commission, Public Art Commission, and Utilities Advisory Commission recruitments in April each year and the Architectural Review Board, Historic Resources Board, Parks and Recreation Commission, Planning and Transportation Commission, and Storm Drain Oversight Committee recruitments in October of each year; 2) allowing for midterm resignations to be reviewed by Council on a case by case basis; 3) providing the City Clerk latitude on how to advertise in local media; 4) directing the City Clerk to continuously accept applications throughout the year; 5) encouraging Staff Liaisons and Commission Members to commit to participation in the Boards and Commission Recruitment Program; 6) directing the City Clerk to hold a trial volunteer fair inclusive of all applicable City Government volunteer opportunities, with a table for each Commission, hosted by the City in March 2014; and 7) directing the City Clerk to begin hosting in 2013 an annual Boards and Commissions Members recognition event. Page 2 Executive Summary The City Clerk Staff met with the Policy and Services Committee twice to discuss revising the Boards and Commissions Recruitment Program. During these discussions it was confirmed that the recruitment process was cumbersome, stale, and ineffective. Staff brought recommendations to the Committee that focused on several key functions of the program including:  Streamlining the recruitment program from many times a year to twice a year beginning in 2014  Giving the City Clerk more latitude to advertise recruitments more effectively  Increasing collaboration with key Staff and Liaisons  Hosting a volunteer fair to increase visibility of the volunteer positions  Updating the applications (Staff is working with a subcommittee, updates are not ready yet. Once changes are made Staff will bring the applications back to the Policy and Services Committee for review.)  Revising the interview process  Hosting a recognition event to honor currently serving commissioners  Creating a training and mentoring program for new commissioners for roll out as “Phase II” to the Boards and Commissions Recruitment Program revision at a later date (Policy and Services moved for Staff to develop this component to the program at a later date) The Policy and Services Committee recommended the City Council approve the changes outlined in this report. Background and Discussion The City has nine Boards and Commissions that Staff regularly recruits for. Recruitments are currently conducted as terms expire at various times throughout the year. Between the scheduled recruitments and resignations we hold an average of 11 recruitments per year. The recommendation is to change the term dates on the commissions allowing for two scheduled recruitments during each year. Upon the resignation of a Commissioner in the middle of a term, Council would determine whether to hold a special recruitment to the fill the vacancy or wait until the next scheduled recruitment. The Municipal Code requires we advertise in a newspaper of general circulation for every recruitment. Less than 10 percent of the applicants indicate they discovered the vacancy through these ads. The greatest number of applicants comes from direct contact by the Council, Commissioners, Staff Liaisons, and City Clerk Staff, as well as Page 3 communications from professional groups such as the American Institute of Architects or the Chamber of Commerce. The recommendation is to eliminate the print advertisement requirement from the Municipal Code. The City Clerk would then have the flexibility to funnel the advertising budget into more effective methods that would better reach the community. The recommendation also includes Council’s encouragement to Staff Liaisons and Boards and Commissions Members to become more active participants in the Boards and Commissions Recruitment Program. As mentioned previously applicants very often state that they heard about the vacancy through their communications with Staff, Council, and current Commissioners. The Policy and Services Committee is recommending Council approve a trial run of a City hosted Volunteer Fair. This would be an opportunity for the City to gather all of the volunteer opportunities throughout the organization together and invite the public to come and learn about these opportunities. Each Commission would have a table staffed by a Commissioner and or Staff Liaison to interact with and educate potential applicants. This event would be open to all City departments with volunteer opportunities, held in a City facility to keep cost to a minimum, and held by March 21st to coordinate with the spring recruitment. Staff brought recommendations to the Policy and Services Committee regarding potential changes to the applications used in the recruitment process. The committee assigned a sub-committee to revise all of the applications. That work is on-going. Staff will return to the Policy and Services Committee for further discussion once the initial work with the subcommittee is complete. The Policy and Services Committee did not recommend any changes to the interview process. The Policy and Services Committee recommended Council approve an annual Recognition Event for the Boards and Commissions Members. The recommendation indicated a preference for the event to be held offsite and independent of other events. Staff would plan to host the event in coordination with the fall recruitment each year. Lastly, the Policy and Services Committee recommended Staff develop a Training and Mentoring Program to be implemented at a later date. Staff is considering this for roll out in 2014. The concept would include the City Clerk Staff coordinating with other departments to provide consistent information for in-coming Commissioners regarding such important topics as Page 4 the Brown Act and Conflict-of-Interest. If we switch to biannual recruitments it would make sense to bring all new Commissioners in at the same time to learn the common information they all need to know. Each group would then break out with the relevant departments to learn about Committee specific information. The Staff Reports from both Policy and Services Committee meetings and the excerpted minutes from both meetings are attached. Content not relevant to this report (such as content regarding the applications revisions) has been edited from the staff reports to conserve resources. Full versions of the reports are available on the City website: http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/gov/agendas/committees/policy.asp Resource Impacts There will be limited resource impacts mainly focused on Staff time if Council approves this program. Planning for an annual Volunteer Recruitment Fair could take substantial Staff time, however it is difficult to accurately estimate at this time. City space and equipment will be used for the event effectively limiting the amount of money to produce the event. The primary budget draw will involve advertising which will be covered with the current City Clerk Boards and Recruitments Advertising Budget. If approved, the Annual Boards and Commissions Members Recognition Event would require some budget and Staff time considerations. The recommendation by the Policy and Services Committee was to host an event offsite. There will be a cost for refreshments and venue. The existing City Clerk Budget will be able to absorb these costs. Policy Implications In April, 2013 Staff presented a Boards and Commissions Recruitment Program revision plan to the Policy and Services Committee. Motions approved by the Committee, if approved by Council, will affect policy related to Boards and Commissions. Significant Municipal Code changes will be required and are outlined in Attachment A. Page 5 The Policy and Services Committee made the following motions on April 9, 2013: MOTION: Council Member Klein moved, seconded by Council Member Holman to recommend the City Council accept the Staff recommendation to conduct bi-annual board and commission recruitments, to switch the Utilities Advisory Commission recruitment to the spring recruitment and the Historic Resources Board recruitment to the fall, and neither of the current terms of those two boards to be shortened. MOTION PASSED: 4-0 MOTION: Council Member Holman moved, seconded by Chair Kniss to recommend the City Council accept the Staff recommendation to allow Staff the latitude on how they would advertise in local media, to including looking to online and the internet sources. MOTION PASSED: 4-0 MOTION: Council Member Price moved, seconded by Council Member Klein to recommend to the City Council that when there are midterm resignations that they will be reviewed by Council on a case by case basis. MOTION PASSED: 4-0 MOTION: Council Member Holman moved, seconded by Chair Kniss to recommend to the City Council that the Clerk’s Office continuously accept board and commission applications. MOTION PASSED: 4-0 MOTION: Council Member Klein moved, seconded by Council Member Price to recommend to the City Council to encourage Staff Liaisons and Commission Members commit to participate in the Boards and Commission Recruitment Program. MOTION PASSED: 4-0 MOTION: Chair Kniss moved, seconded by Council Member Price to recommend the City Council accept Staff recommendation to conduct a trial City hosted volunteer fair to be held by March 21, 2013 prior to the spring recruitment, that each board and commission have a separate table with a Staff liaison or Council Member; non-profit organizations will be controlled to fit in with board and commission recruitments and so it reaches out to other city activities. This is not to be a citywide nonprofit fair. MOTION PASSED: 4-0 MOTION: Council Member Holman moved, seconded by Council Member Price to recommend to the City Council that Council Members Price and Holman work with Staff to change the content of the application forms, and then have this Sub-Committee discuss the interview process. SUBSTITUTE MOTON: Council Member Klein moved, seconded by Chair Kniss Page 6 to recommend to the City Council that a subcommittee work with Staff to refresh the applications, interviews for all commissions be 10 minutes long, and a beginning statement be no more than 3 minutes. AMENDMENT: Council Member Holman moved, seconded by Chair Kniss that the Planning and Transportation Commission interviews will remain 15 minutes. AMENDMENT PASSED: 3-1 Klein no SUBSTITUTE MOTION PASSED: 4-0 MOTION: Council Member Price moved, seconded by Chair Kniss to recommend to the City Council to hold an annual Board and Commission recognition event. MOTION PASSED: 4-0 MOTION: Council Member Holman moved, seconded by Council Member Price to recommend the City Council continue the training and mentoring program discussion until a future date. MOTION PASSED: 4-0 ATTACHMENTS:  : Proposed Ordinance and Resolutions (DOCX)  : Edited 12-11-12 P&S Report with Minutes (PDF)  : Edited 4-9-13 P&S Report with Minutes (PDF) Department Head: Donna Grider, City Clerk Page 7 ORDINANCE NO. _____ Ordinance of the Council of the City of Palo Alto The Council of the City of Palo Alto does ORDAIN as follows: SECTION 1. Section 2.16.010 (Vacancies) of Chapter 2.16 (Boards and Commissions Generally) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is hereby amended to read as follows: “Any vacancy occurring in the membership of any board or commission may remain vacant until the next regularly scheduled recruitment for that board or commission or may be filled at any time by special recruitment, at the discretion of the City Council. shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term in the manner providing for the original appointment.” SECTION 3. Section 2.16.060 (Manner of Appointment) of Chapter 2.16 (Boards and Commissions Generally) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is hereby amended to read as follows: “Following the notification of vacancy or pending vacancy on any board or commission, the city clerk shall advertise the same in a newspaper of general circulation in the city, including the council agenda digest, one time within two weeks. (a) The City Clerk shall advertise vacancies or pending vacancies in boards and commissions at least fifteen (15) days before such vacancies are scheduled to be filled. The City Clerk shall exercise his or her discretion in choosing the method of advertisement that will most effectively reach potential candidates. (b) Concurrent with the advertisement of vacancies or pending vacancies on boards and commissions, the City Clerk shall publicize the application and evaluation procedures that will apply to such vacancies, including the last day on which applications will be accepted for such vacancies. (c) The City Clerk may extend the deadline for applications, as necessary to ensure a sufficient number of qualified candidates. (d) Applications received after the deadlines set by the City Clerk shall be held until the next regularly scheduled or special recruitment for the applicable board or commission. (e) The City Council shall review all applications and shall make a final selection and appointment at a regular City Council meeting after the period for submittal of applications has expired. (f) All members of boards and commissions shall take an oath of office before commencing their service.” SECTION 4. Section 2.16.070 (Schedule of Appointments) of Chapter 2.16 (Boards and Commissions Generally) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is hereby added to read as follows: “(a) The City Council shall review applications to fill vacancies in the following boards and commissions in April of each year: (1) Human Relations Commission (Chapter 2.22) (2) Library Advisory Commission (Chapter 2.24) (3) Public Art Commission (Chapter 2.18) (4) Utilities Advisory Commission (Chapter 2.23) (b) The City Council shall review applications to fill vacancies in the following boards and commissions in October of each year: (1) Architectural Review Board (Chapter 2.21) (2) Historic Resources Board (Chapter 2.27) (3) Parks and Recreation Commission (Chapter 2.25) (4) Planning and Transportation Commission (Chapter 2.20) (c) The City Council shall fill vacancies in all other boards and commissions in April or October of each year, at its discretion. (d) The City Council may fill mid-term vacancies during the next regularly scheduled recruitment for the board or commission or may hold a special recruitment, at its discretion. Special recruitments shall be subject to the requirements of Section 2.16.060.” SECTION 5. Section 2.18.030 (Manner of Appointment) of Chapter 2.18 (Public Art Commission) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is deleted in its entirety. “(a) In filling vacancies on the public art commission, the following procedures shall be followed: (1) Following notification of a vacancy or pending vacancy for a public art commission position, the city clerk shall advertise the same in a newspaper of general circulation in the city, including the council agenda digest, in accordance with Section 2.16.060. Written nominations and applications shall be submitted to the city clerk within such time period and shall be forwarded forthwith to the city council for its consideration. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the nomination or application of an incumbent commission member is not submitted to the city clerk within the period specified above, the period shall be extended for an additional five days during which the city clerk shall accept written nominations and applications of non-incumbents; (2) The city council shall review all nominations and applications and shall conduct such interviews as it deems necessary prior to selection; and (3) Final selection and appointment shall be made by the city council at a regular city council meeting after the period for submittal of nominations and applications has expired.” SECTION 6. Section 2.20.015 (Manner of Appointment) of Chapter 2.20 (Planning and Transportation Commission) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is deleted in its entirety. “In filling vacancies on the planning and transportation commission, the following procedures shall be followed by the city council: (a) Following notification of vacancy or pending vacancy on the planning commission, the city clerk shall advertise the same in a newspaper of general circulation in the city, including the council agenda digest, in accordance with Section 2.16.060; (b) Written nominations and applications shall be submitted to the city clerk within such time period to be forwarded to the city council for its consideration. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the nomination or application of an incumbent commission member is not submitted to the city clerk within the period specified above, the period shall be extended for an additional five days during which the city clerk shall accept written nominations and applications of non-incumbents; (c) The city council shall review all nominations and applications and conduct such interviews as it deems necessary prior to selection; and (d) Final selection and appointment shall be made by the city council at a regular city council meeting after the period for submittal of nominations and applications has expired.” SECTION 7. Section 2.20.020 (Term of Office) of Chapter 2.20 (Planning and Transportation Commission) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is hereby amended to read as follows: “The term Terms of office of each member on the Planning and Transportation Commission shall be four years. or until his successor is appointed and Effective January 1, 2014, terms of office due to expire on July 31 of each year shall be extended to expire on October 31 of the same year, and thereafter terms of office shall commence on the first day of August November. If a successor is unavailable, a member may remain in office until his or her successor is appointed.” SECTION 8. Section 2.20.030 (Officers) of Chapter 2.20 (Planning and Transportation Commission) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is hereby amended to read as follows: “The commission shall elect its officers annually at the first meeting in August November.” SECTION 9. Section 2.20.040 (Expiration of Terms) of Chapter 2.20 (Planning and Transportation Commission) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is deleted in its entirety. “Beginning with terms commencing August 1, 1978, two of said terms shall expire on July 31, four years thereafter. One term shall expire on July 31, 1979, and thereafter that term shall be for a period of four years. The persons appointed to the terms commencing August 1, 1978, shall determine by lot which shall have the longer and which shall have the shorter terms.” SECTION 10. Section 2.21.010 (Architectural Review Board) of Chapter 2.21 (Architectural Review Board) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is hereby amended to read as follows: “There is created an architectural review board consisting of five persons appointed by the city council, and at least three of whom shall be architects, landscape architects, building designers or other design professionals. Each member of the architectural review board shall be appointed by the city council and shall serve, commencing on the first day of October, for a term of three years or until his or her successor is appointed and takes office. The architectural review board shall have the powers and duties specified in this chapter, and shall comply with the procedures specified in this chapter. SECTION 11. Section 2.21.020 (Manner of Appointment) of Chapter 2.21 (Architectural Review Board) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is deleted in its entirety. “In filling vacancies on the architectural review board, the following procedures shall be followed by the city council: (a) Following notification of vacancy on the architectural review board, the city clerk shall advertise the same in a newspaper of general circulation in the city, including the council agenda digest, in accordance with Section 2.16.060; (b) Written nominations and applications shall be submitted to the city clerk within such time period, to be forwarded to the city council for its consideration. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the nomination or application of an incumbent board member is not submitted to the city clerk within the period specified above, the period shall be extended for an additional five days during which the city clerk shall accept written nominations and applications of non-incumbents; (c) The city council shall review all nominations and applications and conduct such interviews as it deems necessary prior to selection; and (d) Final selection and appointment shall be made by the city council at a regular city council meeting after the period for submittal of nominations and applications has expired.” SECTION 12. Section 2.21.025 (Term of Office) of Chapter 2.21 (Architectural Review Board) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is hereby added to read as follows: “Terms of office on the Architectural Review Board shall be three years. Effective January 1, 2014, the terms of office due to expire on September 30 of each year shall be extended to expire on October 31 of the same year, and thereafter terms of office shall commence on the first day of November. If a successor is unavailable, a member may remain in office until his or her successor is appointed.” SECTION 13. Section 2.22.015 (Manner of Appointment) of Chapter 2.22 (Human Relations Commission) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is deleted in its entirety. “In filling vacancies on the human relations commission, the following procedures shall be followed by the city council: (a) Following notification of vacancy or pending vacancy on the human relations commission, the city clerk shall advertise the same in a newspaper of general circulation in the city, including the council agenda digest, in accordance with Section 2.16.060; (b) Written nominations and applications shall be submitted to the city clerk within such time period, to be forwarded to the city council for its consideration. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the nomination or application of an incumbent board member is not submitted to the city clerk within the period specified above, the period shall be extended for an additional five days during which the city clerk shall accept written nominations and applications of non-incumbents; (c) The city council shall review all nominations and applications and conduct such interviews as it deems necessary prior to selection; and (d) Final selection and appointment shall be made by the city council at a regular city council meeting after the period for submittal of nominations and applications has expired.” SECTION 14. Section 2.22.020 (Term of office) of Chapter 2.22 (Human Relations Commission) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is hereby amended to read as follows: “Terms of office on the Human Relations Commission shall be three years. Commencing June 17, 1982, there shall be two members whose terms expire March 31, 1983, two members whose terms expire March 31, 1984, and three members whose terms expire March 31, 1985. Effective January 1, 2014, terms of office due to expire on March 31 of each year shall be extended to expire on April 30 of the same year, and thereafter terms of office shall commence on the first day of May. If a successor is unavailable, a member may remain in office until his or her successor is appointed. Subsequent appointments shall be made for a term of three years, or until their successors are appointed. Terms of office commence on April 1st.” SECTION 15. Section 2.23.020 (Manner of Appointment) of Chapter 2.23 (Utilities Advisory Commission) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is deleted in its entirety. “The following procedures shall be followed by the city council when filling vacancies on the utilities advisory commission: (a) Following notification of vacancy or pending vacancy on the utilities advisory commission, the city clerk shall advertise the same in a newspaper of general circulation in the city, including the council agenda digest, in accordance with Section 2.16.060; (b) Written nominations and applications shall be submitted to the city clerk within such time period to be forwarded to the city council for its consideration. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the nomination or application of an incumbent commission member is not submitted to the city clerk within the period submitted above, the period shall be extended for an additional five days during which the city clerk shall accept written nominations and applications of non-incumbents; (c) The city council shall review all nominations and applications and conduct such interviews as it deems necessary prior to selection; and (d) Final selection and appointment shall be made by the city council at a regular city council meeting after the period for submittal of nominations and applications has expired.” SECTION 16. Section 2.23.030 (Term of Office) of Chapter 2.23 (Utilities Advisory Commission) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is hereby amended to read as follows: “(a) Term of Office. Terms of office on the Utilities Advisory Commission shall be three years. Effective January 1, 2014, terms of office due to expire on July 6 of each year shall be lengthened to expire on April 30 of the following year, and thereafter terms of office shall commence on the first day of May. The term of office of each member shall be three years or until his or her successor is appointed. The initial terms of the three members who were in the first group of city council votes on July 6, 2009 shall be three years. The initial terms of the two members in the second group of city council votes on July 6, 2009 shall be one year. Thereafter, beginning in 2010, the c Commission appointments shall be staggered so that in each three-year cycle, two members are appointed one year, two members are appointed the next year, and three members are appointed the next year. If a successor is unavailable, a member may remain in office until his or her successor is appointed. (b) Commencement Date. The terms of the three members who received the highest number of city council votes on July 6, 2009 shall commence on July 7, 2009. The terms of the members who received the fourth and fifth highest number of city council votes on July 6, 2009 shall commence on the effective date of this ordinance.” SECTION 17. Section 2.24.020 (Manner of Appointment) of Chapter 2.24 (Library Advisory Commission) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is deleted in its entirety. “The following procedures shall be followed by the city council when filling vacancies on the library advisory commission: (a) Following the notification of any vacancy or pending vacancy on the commission, the city clerk shall advertise the same in a newspaper of general circulation in Palo Alto, including the council agenda digest, in accordance with Section 2.16.060; (b) Written nominations and applications shall be submitted to the city clerk within such time period to be forwarded to the city council for its consideration. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the nomination and application of any incumbent commission member is not submitted to the city clerk within the period submitted above, the period shall be extended for an additional five days during which the city clerk shall accept the written nominations and applications of non-incumbents; (c) The city council shall review all nominations and applications and conduct such interviews as it deems necessary prior to selection; and (d) The final selection and appointment shall be made by the city council at a regular meeting of the city council after the period of time for the submittal of nominations and applications has expired.” SECTION 18. Section 2.24.030 (Term of Office) of Chapter 2.24 (Library Advisory Commission) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is hereby amended to read as follows: “Except as hereinafter provided, the term Terms of office of each on the library advisory commission member shall be three years or until his or her successor is appointed. Commission appointments shall be staggered so that two (2) members are appointed in 2013 and every three years thereafter, and three (3) members are appointed in 2014 and every three years thereafter. Terms of office commence on February 1 and expire on January 31 of the third year. Effective January 1, 2014, terms of office due to expire on January 31 of each year shall be extended to expire on April 30 of the same year, and thereafter terms of office shall commence on the first day of May. If a successor is unavailable, a member may remain in office until his or her successor is appointed.” SECTION 19. Section 2.25.020 (Manner of Appointment) of Chapter 2.25 (Parks and Recreation Commission) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is deleted in its entirety. “The following procedures shall be followed by the city council when filling vacancies on the parks and recreation commission: (a) Following the notification of any vacancy or pending vacancy on the commission, the city clerk shall advertise the same in a newspaper of general circulation in Palo Alto, including the council agenda digest, in accordance with Section 2.16.060; (b) Written nominations and applications shall be submitted to the city clerk within such time period to be forwarded to the city council for its consideration. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the nomination and application of any incumbent commission member is not submitted to the city clerk within the period submitted above, the period shall be extended for an additional five days during which the city clerk shall accept the written nominations and applications of non-incumbents; (c) The city council shall review all nominations and applications and conduct such interviews as it deems necessary prior to selection; and (d) The final selection and appointment shall be made by the city council at a regular meeting of the city council after the period of time for the submittal of nominations and applications has expired.” SECTION 20. Section 2.25.030 (Term of Office) of Chapter 2.25 (Parks and Recreation Commission) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is hereby amended to read as follows: “Except as hereinafter provided, the term Terms of office of each on the parks and recreation commission member shall be three years. or until his or her successor is appointed. Commencing January 1, 2000, or as soon thereafter as practicable, the initial terms of four members shall be three years, and the initial terms of three other members shall be two years, as determined by the city council. Thereafter, the commission Commission appointments shall be staggered so that in each three-year cycle three members are appointed to serve during the first year, four members are appointed to serve during the second year, and no members are appointed to serve during the third year. Effective January 1, 2014, terms of office due to expire on December 31 of each year shall be lengthened to expire on October 31 of the following year, and thereafter terms of office shall commence on the first day of November. If a successor is unavailable, a member may remain in office until his or her successor is appointed.” SECTION 21. Section 2.27.010 (Historic Resources Board) of Chapter 2.27 (Historic Resources Board) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is hereby added to read as follows: “The historic resources board shall be composed of seven members appointed by the city council and serving without pay. Members shall have demonstrated interest in and knowledge of history, architecture or historic preservation. One member shall be an owner/occupant of a category 1 or 2 historic structure, or of a structure in a historic district; three members shall be architects, landscape architects, building designers or other design professionals and at least one member shall possess academic education or practical experience in history or a related field. The Palo Alto Historic Association shall be given notice of vacancies on the board and shall be encouraged to have its members submit applications.” SECTION 22. Section 2.27.020 (Term of Office) of Chapter 2.27 (Historic Resources Board) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is hereby added to read as follows: “Terms of office on the Historic Resources Board shall be three years. Terms shall be staggered so that three positions are refilled one year, and four positions are refilled two years later. Effective January 1, 2014, terms of office due to expire on May 31 of each year shall be extended to expire on October 31 of the same year, and thereafter terms of office shall commence on the first day of November. If a successor is unavailable, a member may remain in office until his or her successor is appointed.” SECTION 23. Section 2.27.030 (Organization) of Chapter 2.27 (Historic Resources Board) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is hereby added to read as follows: “(a) The board shall hold meetings twice monthly or at the pleasure of the chairperson, and shall establish such rules as may be appropriate and necessary for the orderly conduct of its business. The board shall elect a chairperson and a vice chairperson from its membership who shall serve in such capacity for terms of one year each, or until a successor is elected. The chairperson shall preside over meetings of the board, and in the absence or disability of the chairperson, the vice chairperson shall perform the duties of the chairperson. (b) Four members shall constitute a quorum and decisions of the board shall be determined by majority vote of those members present at the meeting. Action minutes shall be kept by the board.” SECTION 24. Section 2.27.040 (Duties) of Chapter 2.27 (Historic Resources Board) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is hereby added to read as follows: “It is the duty of the historic resources board to: (a) Render advice and guidance to a property owner upon the owner's application for alteration of any historic single-family or duplex building in the downtown area and any such building designated as significant elsewhere in the city; (b) Inform the architectural review board of the historical and/or architectural significance of historic commercial and multiple-family structures in the downtown area and any such buildings designated as significant elsewhere in the city that are under review by the architectural review board. Submit recommendations to the architectural review board regarding proposed exterior alterations of such historic structures; (c) Recommend to the council the designation of additional buildings and districts as historic; (d) Research available information and add historical information to the inventory sheets of historic structures/sites. This inventory is maintained in the department of planning and community environment; and (e) Perform such other functions as may be delegated from time to time to the historic resources board by the city council.” SECTION 25. Section 16.49.030 (Historic Resources Board) of Chapter 16.49 (Historic Preservation) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is deleted in its entirety. “(a) Composition. The historic resources board shall be composed of seven members appointed by the city council and serving without pay. Members shall have demonstrated interest in and knowledge of history, architecture or historic preservation. One member shall be an owner/occupant of a category 1 or 2 historic structure, or of a structure in a historic district; three members shall be architects, landscape architects, building designers or other design professionals and at least one member shall possess academic education or practical experience in history or a related field. (a) Terms of Office. Members shall serve for terms of three years and until their respective successors are appointed. Terms shall be staggered so that three positions are refilled one year, and four positions are refilled two years later. Commencing on October 21, 1991, there shall be one member whose term expires May 31, 1992, and one member whose term expires May 31, 1994. Subsequent appointments shall be made for terms of three years, or until their successors are appointed. Terms of office commence June 1. (b) Appointment. In filling vacancies on the historic resources board, the following procedures shall be followed by the city council: (1) Following notification of vacancy or pending vacancy on the historic resources board, the city clerk shall advertise the same in a newspaper of general circulation in the city, including the council agenda digest, in accordance with Section 2.16.060; (2) Written nominations and applications shall be submitted to the city clerk within one week of the date of the last notice to be forwarded to the city council for its consideration. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the nomination or application of an incumbent board member is not submitted to the city clerk within the period specified above, the period shall be extended for an additional five days during which the city clerk shall accept written nominations and applications of non-incumbents; (3) The Palo Alto Historic Association shall be given notice of vacancies on the board and shall be encouraged to have its members submit applications; (4) The city council shall review all nominations and applications, and conduct such interviews as it deems necessary prior to selections; and (5) Final selection and appointment shall be made by the city council at a regular city council meeting after the period for submittal of nominations and applications has expired; (c) Organization. The board shall hold meetings twice monthly or at the pleasure of the chairperson, and shall establish such rules as may be appropriate and necessary for the orderly conduct of its business. The board shall elect a chairperson and a vice chairperson from its membership who shall serve in such capacity for terms of one year each. The chairperson shall preside over meetings of the board, and in the absence or disability of the chairperson, the vice chairperson shall perform the duties of the chairperson. Four members shall constitute a quorum and decisions of the board shall be determined by majority vote of those members present at the meeting. Action minutes shall be kept by the board; and (d) Duties. It is the duty of the historic resources board to: (1) Render advice and guidance to a property owner upon the owner's application for alteration of any historic single-family or duplex building in the downtown area and any such building designated as significant elsewhere in the city; (2) Inform the architectural review board of the historical and/or architectural significance of historic commercial and multiple-family structures in the downtown area and any such buildings designated as significant elsewhere in the city that are under review by the architectural review board. Submit recommendations to the architectural review board regarding proposed exterior alterations of such historic structures; (3) Recommend to the council the designation of additional buildings and districts as historic; (4) Research available information and add historical information to the inventory sheets of historic structures/sites. This inventory is maintained in the department of planning and community environment; and (5) Perform such other functions as may be delegated from time to time to the historic resources board by the city council.” SECTION 26. This ordinance shall be effective on the thirty-first day after the date of its adoption. INTRODUCED: PASSED: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: ABSTENTIONS: ATTEST: ____________________________ ____________________________ City Clerk Mayor APPROVED AS TO FORM: APPROVED: ____________________________ ____________________________ City Attorney City Manager ____________________________ Director of ____________________________ Director of Administrative Services Resolution No. ________ Resolution of Intention of the Council of the City of Palo Alto to Realign Terms of Office for the Storm Drain Oversight Committee R E C I T A L S A. WHEREAS, on April 26, 2005, the property owners approved a storm drainage fee increase for storm drain capital improvements and program enhancements; and B. WHEREAS, on November 14, 2005, the City Council approved Resolution No. 8573, establishing a Storm Drain Oversight Committee to monitor and review the use of increased storm drainage fees; and C. WHEREAS, on April 9, 2013, the Policy and Services Committee approved a recommendation to realign the terms of office of all City boards and commissions to end in April or October of each year; NOW, THEREFORE, the Council of the City of Palo Alto does RESOLVE as follows: SECTION 1. Effective January 1, 2014, terms of office due to expire on December 31 of each year shall be lengthened to expire on October 31 of the following year, and thereafter terms of office shall commence on the first day of November. If a successor is unavailable, a member may remain in office until his or her successor is appointed. SECTION 2. The Council finds that this is not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act and, therefore, no environmental impact assessment is necessary. INTRODUCED AND PASSED: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: ABSTENTIONS: ATTEST: __________________________ _____________________________ City Clerk Mayor APPROVED AS TO FORM: APPROVED: __________________________ _____________________________ Deputy City Attorney City Manager _____________________________ Director of _____________________________ Director of Administrative Services Resolution No. ________ Resolution of Intention of the Council of the City of Palo Alto to Realign Terms of Office for the Library Bond Citizen Oversight Committee R E C I T A L S A. WHEREAS, on November 4, 2008, Palo Alto voters approved Measure N, authorizing the City to incur bonded debt for the purpose of construction and completion of a new Mitchell Park library and community center, renovation and expansion of Main Library, and renovations to Downtown Library; and B. WHEREAS, on March 16, 2009, the City Council approved Resolution No. 8906, establishing a Library Bond Citizen Oversight Committee to monitor and review the use of bond proceeds authorized by Measure N; and C. WHEREAS, on April 9, 2013, the Policy and Services Committee approved a recommendation to realign the terms of office of all City boards and commissions to end in April or October of each year; NOW, THEREFORE, the Council of the City of Palo Alto does RESOLVE as follows: SECTION 1. Effective January 1, 2014, terms of office due to expire on December 31 of each year shall be lengthened to expire on October 31 of the following year, and thereafter terms of office shall commence on the first day of November. If a successor is unavailable, a member may remain in office until his or her successor is appointed. SECTION 2. The Council finds that this is not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act and, therefore, no environmental impact assessment is necessary. INTRODUCED AND PASSED: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: ABSTENTIONS: ATTEST: __________________________ _____________________________ City Clerk Mayor APPROVED AS TO FORM: APPROVED: __________________________ _____________________________ Deputy City Attorney City Manager _____________________________ Director of _____________________________ Director of Administrative Services CITY OF PALO ALTO OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK December 11, 2012 The Honorable City Council Palo Alto, California Options for Revising the Boards and Commissions Application and Recruitment Process History The Palo Alto Boards and Commissions are governed by the Municipal Code. Requirements include the advertisement in a general circulation newspaper, receipt of applications during the recruitment period, and forwarding of applications to Council. The Municipal Code also indicates the expiration term of each board. The Boards and Commissions application and recruitment process has functioned without significant update for many years. Some minor improvements have been made recently to increase the number of applications received. However there is great room for improvement in the following key areas: Applications are generic, offering only minimal customization per commission Outreach to potential applicants is limited by staff and budget and lacks creativity Application process, from recruitment through appointment, is time consuming and inefficient Generic Applications Applications are primarily generic with minimal customization per commission. Staff has modified the applications to include information regarding specific criteria that already is specified in the Municipal Code; for example the Historic Resources Board application now includes space to indicate which requirements the applicant meets; either they are the owner of a historic structure, an architect, or an academic. Otherwise, the questions are the same as they have been for many years. City Clerk Staff reached out to the Chairs, Vice Chairs, and Staff Liaisons for each Commission requesting suggestions for improvements. Most respondents made suggestions that would be appropriate for any Page 2 Commission. One respondent provided suggestions specifically for the Public Art Commission. All responses are listed below. Suggestions appropriate for all applications Examples of past experience relevant to a commission Willingness to operate within the procedural rules of the commission Enthusiasm to come up to speed on the priorities and objectives of the commission, or which current issue or issues facing the commission were of particular interest to the applicant What unique contribution could the applicant make to the commission if selected Past experience with public service or volunteering Are there any recent decisions by the Commission that the applicant would have decided differently Are there any issues that the applicant would consider to be particularly important for the commission to study What factors would the applicant weigh most heavily in setting priorities for the commission Questions that pertain to whether the applicant is on time or has a difficulty with the time commitment requirements Public Art Commission Specific What arts affiliations, memberships or arts publications does the applicant have or subscribe to, if any What is the role of public art in a city What examples of successful public art can the applicant think of (here or elsewhere) and why does he or she consider those successful The Municipal Code specifies the criteria, such as candidate occupation and residency, requirements to serve on Boards and Commissions. These requirements have not been updated or reviewed in a long time. Some Council Members have suggested reviewing these criteria. One Commission Member suggested the criteria to serve on the Planning and Transportation Commission should include several members being architects. The relevant sections of the Municipal Code are included as Attachment E. The City of Saratoga requires that applicants attend at least one Commission meeting prior to applying. The City of Hayward requires applicants to sign a statement indicating they understand and agree to the time commitments Page 3 required to serve. Staff Recommends: Updating the applications with current, relevant questions. Council discussion of an update to the Municipal Code reflecting updated criteria for serving. Outreach Any recruitment is only successful when it has the involvement of not only the City Clerk’s Office, but the Council, Staff Liaisons, Board and Commission Members, and neighborhood groups actively looking for applicants. Past experience has been that the number of applicants increases when we have active participation of all these groups. Current outreach to potential applicants is limited, inconsistent, and not a priority for stakeholders. Some possible solutions might include: Expand outreach to potential applicants. Revise the description of the Council Liaison and Staff Liaison roles to include applicant outreach. Direct City Clerk Staff to attend Boards and Commissions Meetings with specifically timed recruitment information. Research with other cities has revealed a variety of processes that could be considered. For example, the City of Hayward holds an annual “open house” event where they invite the public to attend and meet current Boards and Commissions Members. In Berkeley it is the responsibility of the Boards and Commissions Members to recruit when there is an opening on their board. The City of Mountain View has direct mailings to residents. Quite a few cities were reviewing the possibility of using social media to recruit, but none launched a program yet at the time of the interviews. Process The current process for recruitment includes publishing a vacancy announcement in Council Packet, publishing an advertisement in the Palo Alto Weekly, sending an email to the database of potentially interested applicants, communicating with community associations such as the Page 4 neighborhood associations and Chamber of Commerce, contacting existing commissioners, agendizing the interview selection with Council, scheduling a special meeting to conduct interviews, agendizing the selection of candidates with Council, contacting applicants. Applicants not selected to serve are provided the option to be added to the database in case they wish to apply again. Staff has contacted numerous other cities around California to gather information regarding the methods other cities use to recruit. Here is a recap of some of that information: The City of Fremont Mayor appoints Commissioners. No community outreach. Several other cities interviewed use this or a similar process. The City of Hayward recruits and interviews only once a year, in June/July, but accepts applications all year. Will hold special recruitments if needed. Council appoints. The City of Redwood City has a more complex process: o Recruitments are advertised in local papers and city publications. o Interview date is set when applications become available. o City Clerk’s Office tracks and verifies applications, Applicants must be residents and registered to vote. o Interviews are held with full Council. o Council appoints. o Oaths are administered by City Clerk at Council Meeting. o Annual recognition party for commissioners held every December. The City of Santa Clara runs their recruitments much the same way as Palo Alto. The City of Saratoga recruits three times a year, and then additionally as needed. They advertise recruitments in local paper and city publications. The City of Menlo Park recently changed from staggered recruitments to annual recruitments. The City of Richmond uses a City Council Standing Committee to review applications and make recommendations to the full Council. Over the last few years the amount of applications received per vacancy has increased on average. However, this increase is inconsistent. Some recruitments earn little or no applications at all, while others earn many. Several factors could be considered for this. For example, summer time Page 5 recruiting efforts seem to earn fewer applications per vacancy. Staff has been gathering data for several years. It is difficult to find a pattern for exactly when the best time of the year would be to hold an annual recruitment. Further research would be required should Council move to annual recruitment. Recruitment periods are staggered through the year at seemingly random intervals. Applicant response is erratic. Frequent emails are not very visible, they might become similar to junk mail in residents in-boxes. Newspaper advertisements are hidden in the paper and not created to stand out. Some possible solutions are: The Municipal Code could be revised to recruit for all Boards and Commissions once a year. This would allow Staff to maximize resources, allowing for a stronger push on recruitment communication and additional partnership opportunities with the community. Remove the requirement to advertise recruitments in a general circulation newspaper. This action will allow the City Clerk’s Staff to use advertising budget and time in a more efficient and productive manner. Staff could potentially run colorful display ads in a variety of newspapers, work with reporters to run articles about recruitment, explore hosting a volunteer fair, and develop marketing media (flyers, business cards, tri-fold handouts, and mailers). Of the last 273 applications that have been received, 21 applicants indicated they discovered the recruitment via the ad in the paper. ATTACHMENTS:  Attachment A Boards and Commissions Applications (PDF)  Attachment B Sample Questions (PDF)  Attachment C Comments from Boards and Commissions Chairs, Vice Chairs and Staff Liaisons (PDF)  Attachment D Recruiting Survey (PDF)  Attachment E Municipal Code Boards and Commissions Sections (PDF) Department Head: Donna Grider, City Clerk CITY OF PALO ALTO OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK April 9, 2013 The Honorable City Council Palo Alto, California Boards and Commissions Recruitment Program Revisions RECOMMENDED MOTION: Council Member moved, seconded by Council Member to request the City Council approve: 1) authorizing Staff proceed with the process of changing the Municipal Code to hold Boards and Commissions recruitments once in the spring and once in the fall of each year, 2) filling vacancies left through resignations by Council Action to determine whether to recruit immediately or wait until the next biannual recruitment date, 3) Staff accepting applications for all Boards and Commissions continuously, 4) encouraging the Staff Liaisons and Commission Members participation in the Boards and Commissions Recruitment Program, 5) a City hosted trial Volunteer Fair, 6) authorizing Staff proceed with the process of changing the Municipal Code to eliminate the requirement to advertise at least once in a newspaper of general circulation, 7) altering the interview process to allow Council Members to submit candidate questions to the City Clerk no less than 10 days prior to the interview date and requesting candidates to prepare five minute verbal presentations addressing the Council questions to be delivered at the interview meeting, 8) an annual Boards and Commissions recognition event, and 9) the development of a training and mentoring program to take place as Phase II to the Boards and Commissions Recruitment Program to return to the Policy and Services Committee in 2014. Executive Summary In December 2012 City Clerk Staff met with the Policy and Services Committee to discuss options for revising the Boards and Commissions Recruitment Program. Some key conversation points and directions given to Staff at that meeting are addressed in this report. Discussion BIANNUAL RECRUITMENT PROGRAM The Policy and Services Committee discussed with Staff recruiting biannually rather than recruiting continually based on term expirations and resignations. Staff recommends that recruitments are held twice a year, once in the Page 2 spring and once in the fall beginning in 2014. Recruitments would be broken up as follows: Spring Recruitment, all applicable member terms would end on April 30 Historic Resources Board (Currently terms end on May 31) Human Relations Commission (Currently terms end on March 31) Library Advisory Commission (Currently terms end on January 31) Public Art Commission (Currently terms end on April 30) Vacancies from resignations on any Commission Fall Recruitment, all applicable member terms would end on October 31 Architectural Review Board (Currently terms end on September 30) Parks and Recreation Commission (Currently terms end on December 31) Planning and Transportation Commission (Currently terms end on July 31) Storm Drain Oversight Committee (Currently terms end on December 31) Utilities Advisory Commission (Currently terms end on June 30) Vacancies from resignations on any Commission Currently seated Commissioners terms would change to the nearest biannual date. For example on the Historic Resources Board, there are three Commissioners whose terms expire on September 30, 2014 and two Commissioners whose terms expire on September 30, 2015. They would change to expire on April 30 in 2014 and 2015 respectively. All recruitments for terms expiring in 2013 would not change. Beginning in January 2014 all terms would end on either April 30 or October 31. If approved, the City Clerk will work with the City Attorney to update applicable sections of the Municipal Code. The Commission term dates, application submittal schedule, and advertising procedure are outlined in multiple sections of the Municipal Code. RESIGNATIONS IN A BIANNUAL RECRUITMENT PROGRAM Staff has explored how to manage resignations with a biannual recruitment schedule. Possible options follow. 1. Staff recommends that upon receipt of a resignation by a Commissioner, City Staff would agendize an item at the next available Council Meeting. Council could then determine if the Committee should continue with a vacancy until the next available recruitment (either spring or fall regardless of Commission), or request Staff to conduct a special recruitment for the vacancy immediately. Page 3 2. Another option to consider is the Alternate Option. When Council votes on which Commissioners will serve, they would vote on an alternate from the same applicant pool at the same time. Council would indicate on the ballot which candidate(s) they vote to serve and which candidate they vote as an alternate. A potential issue would be if an alternate was no longer available to serve after a resignation. A potential benefit would be the ability to immediately replace a resigned Commissioner. 3. Without holding a new recruitment, Council could vote on the previous applicant pool to select an applicant to serve. Council would vote from the entire pool of applicants who interviewed for the last recruitment. 4. The replacement could be recruited with the next biannual recruitment. The vacancy from the resignation would remain in place for as much as six months. A potential issue would be if there are multiple resignations at the same time. APPLICATION SCHEDULE IN A BIANNAUAL RECRUITMENT PROGRAM Staff recommends the acceptance of applications continuously rather than only during an active recruitment. The current process is to offer to add potential applicants to a distribution list, but otherwise turn away potential applications. COLLABORATION Staff Liaisons play a critical role with the Boards and Commissions function. They work directly with all members on a frequent basis. The City Clerk Staff has observed that recruitments garner more attention from the community and receive a higher quantity and quality of applications when the Staff Liaison takes an active role in the recruitment. Additionally recruitments are more successful when the seated members, or at least the Chair and Vice Chair, also actively engage with the recruitment process. The City Clerk will start attending Boards and Commissions meetings to announce recruitments in an effort to take a more active role in encouraging participation. The City Clerk Staff believes it is important that all applicants receive fair and equal exposure to Council. Because of this it is important to note that Staff Members are not being asked to actively recruit individuals. Rather they should strive to communicate with their contacts at-large. Staff recommends Council encourage Staff Liaisons and Commission Members commit to participation in the Boards and Commissions Recruitment Program. Staff Liaisons and Commission Members can support Page 4 the recruitments by sending emails to people they know in the professional community, announcing openings at meetings, and talking to members of the community who regularly attend meetings. VOLUNTEER FAIR The Policy and Services Committee discussed with Staff the idea of a City hosted volunteer fair. Staff would like to take this opportunity to share this as a more fully developed concept. Staff recommends a trial City hosted volunteer fair to be held in spring 2014. If the trial event is successful Staff would like to roll the event out annually. The vision is to create an event with a grassroots feel thriving on community involvement. The participation of the public and the support of non-profits would be critical. Success would be defined by this community participation. Non-profit organizations from around the City would be invited to participate by setting up a table. The Boards and Commissions Recruitment Program would also have a recruitment table. Other City volunteer recruitment efforts (if any) could also be accommodated. The benefits of this type of event would include good-will, demonstration of active-participation with our non-profit partners, and a highly visible event to solicit applications for Boards and Commissions in a fully interactive manner. Potential issues include mainly budget constraints, drains on Staff time, and the potential for a lack of community interest. Staff has informally contacted several non-profits who have indicated interest in participating. They have also indicated they would be willing to donate a door prize. The primary budget draw would be for advertising. This event would require substantial advertising. If the plan to move to biannual recruitments is approved, there would be substantial savings in the current City Clerk budget. ADVERTISING The Municipal Code currently requires advertisement in a paper of general circulation at least once during a recruitment. The general circulation newspaper in Palo Alto is the Palo Alto Weekly. The average cost of the small ads currently run for recruitments are $240.00. Less than 10 percent of the applicants over the last few years have indicated they found out about the recruitment from the ad in the Palo Alto Weekly. Page 5 Staff recommends the elimination of this requirement. Staff would like the Municipal Code to indicate that the City Clerk will advertise vacancies as appropriate which may include ads in any newspaper, online ads, e-blasts, flyers, or other appropriate media. This will allow Staff the flexibility to explore new avenues. The goal with this revision is to be less prescriptive with how the recruitments can be advertised while still ensuring a transparent process. TECHNOLOGY When Staff met with the Policy and Services Committee in December 2012 the Committee discussed using technology to enhance recruitment efforts and the application process. The City Clerk Staff is collaborating with the Human Resources Department to use the NeoGov system to create and manage applications for the Board and Commissions recruitments. This will allow applicants to complete and submit applications online using an existing system. There is no cost associated with this process. The Committee Members also requested Staff allow interested applicants to self-enroll for recruitment notifications. Staff will set up a new GovDelivery message. This will work similarly to the messaging sent out for agendas. A link will be included on the website. This is using an existing system and there will be no cost associated with this process. APPLICATION CONTENT CHANGES As mentioned in the Technology section, the applications will move to an entirely online format using NeoGov. Staff discussed eliminating the current wet signature requirement with the Policy and Services Committee, this is going to be accomplished by switching to NeoGov. It was also suggested that Staff incorporate into the applications the serving requirements outlined in the Municipal Code and a request for visual examples where appropriate. Current Boards and Commissions Members sent suggestions for application revisions, which were included in the attached report. Staff is reformatting the applications to accommodate NeoGov and these concerns. A sample of one application is attached to demonstrate how the content of the applications will change. INTERVIEWS The current Boards and Commissions interview process involves 10 minute question and answer sessions between Council and each Applicant, 15 minutes for Planning and Transportation Commission Candidates. Page 6 City Clerk Staff researched dozens of cities in California to benchmark how cities manage the interview process. In some cities the Mayor appoints with no interviews at all. In some cities the Mayor appoints from nominations taken from Council, again with no interviews at all. In some cities applicants attend a Council Meeting where they are introduced and may or may not answer questions by the Council. In some cities there are subcommittees to interview and select applicants. None of these options seem a good fit for Palo Alto. In the City of Santa Barbara Staff sends applicants questions and requests the applicant prepare a verbal presentation addressing these questions. Each applicant is given three minutes. The Council Members do not ask questions directly to the applicants. Staff recommends, in order to streamline the interview process, Council submit questions for applicants to the City Clerk’s Office via email in time to give the applicants 10 days to prepare. Each applicant will then prepare a five minute verbal presentation for Council. RECOGNITION EVENT An annual recognition event celebrating and honoring the community members who volunteer a good deal of time serving on the Boards and Commissions could help increase retention and the level of satisfaction received from serving. Staff recommends the City host an annual recognition event for all current Boards and Commissions Members. The process would include a reception prior to a regularly scheduled Council Meeting. The event should be timed either with the end of the Calendar year or with one of the recruiting dates. There will be a small cost associated with the event for food and refreshments at the reception. TRAINING AND MENTORING At the meeting in December the Policy and Services Committee also discussed with Staff the development of a training and/or mentoring program. The City Clerk’s Staff agrees this would be a valuable process. The development of this type of program can be extensive. Integration with many internal departments would be required, for example the City Attorney’s Office participation in a Brown Act component would be critical. Staff has considered that partnering with some external programs such as Leadership Palo Alto, would be beneficial to a training and mentoring Page 7 program. A new Boards and Commissions Member Handbook should be part of the program. The City Clerk’s Staff understands training and mentoring is a critical and currently under developed component of the Boards and Commissions Recruitment Program. However, the most immediate need, in Staff’s opinion, is to revise the recruitment schedule, application process, applications, and advertisement of the program. Once those components are in place focus can shift to a post appointment mentality. Staff recommends a Training and Mentoring program be developed as a “Phase II” of the Boards and Commissions Recruitment Program. BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS VERBATIM MINUTES The City Council requested the City Clerk provide data regarding the creation of verbatim minutes for the Architectural Review Board, the Planning and Transportation Commission, and the Utilities Advisory Commission. Staff interviewed 14 City Clerk Offices in the region. The Cupertino City Clerk types action minutes for all Boards and Commissions and the Milpitas City Clerk type’s action minutes for a few Boards and Commissions The City Clerk contacted the City Manager, Planning Director, and Utilities Director regarding verbatim minutes. The Planning and Transportation Commission creates verbatim minutes currently. The Architectural Review Board Staff creates minutes for items moving to Council. The Utilities Department currently does not create verbatim minutes of the Utilities Advisory Commission meetings due to Staff capacity and cost, however, the Utilities Department does issue sense minutes of all of the meetings. ATTACHMENTS:  Sample of Revised Application (DOC)  12-11-12 Staff Report for P&S (PDF)  12-11-12 Boards and Commissions Minutes Excerpt (DOC) Department Head: Donna Grider, City Clerk Page 8 BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS RECRUITING PRACTICES SURVEY What time of year do you recruit? Do you take applications Are the applications specifically What m~thods due you use to advertise Do you use social media? year round? tailored for each recruitment? vacancies? tNhich IS the most/least successful? If so how? Additional Comments , c Ali terms expire in December. Failure to Not at this time, but the City CITY OF FREMONT meet attendance requirements and Yes General application, with Post on the front of the building and on the Clerk's is looking to launch Mayor nominates a candidate at a Council Meetihg 510-284-4060 voluntary withdrawls do create vacancies supplemental questions as needed website. facebook and twitter by the and the Candidate must be confirmed by the Council. that are filied throughout the year end of the year. Publish on website, in newspaper, mail to CITY OF MOUNTAIN VIEW Ali terms expire in Decemeber. Vacancies Yes General application residences, place scroli at bottom of screen during Have accounts, but do not 650-903-6304 are filled throughout the year. commercials on local tv station, email to Chamber of use them Commerce and Downtown Business Association. CITY OF REDWOOD CITY Year round. Committees have staggered Publish on website, news releases, banners, (650) 780-7220 terms, recruitment begins three months in Yes, and kept on file for General application newspaper adds, email blasts, Council Meeting No advance one year. announcement, and announcements in other local publications .. CITY OF SANTA CLARA Ali terms expire in June. Vacancies are Announcement on Channel 15, news release to Although ali applications eventually end up at the (408) 615-2220 filled throug!1out the year. No General application email list/mailing list, City published newspaper, No Clerk's office, but several different departments Council Meeting announcement (including CMO) handle recruitments. Yes, but interviews are No, but the City Clerk does They hold an annual open house as a way for the CITY OF HAYWARD Most vacancies are filled at the same time generally held in June for General application, with Newspapers, post flyers at libraries and City Hall maintain a blog (current City public to learn about different Boards and (510)583-4000 of year. ali vacancies. supplemental questions as needed events and recruitment Commsions. All current members are invited to information ). attend to answer questions. They have a 45 min training video as mandatory Don't usually advertise. It is the responsibility of the training for ali Commission Chairs and Vice-Chairs CITY OF BERKELEY Year round/staggered recruitments. 8 year General Application, and several Chair/Commission Members to recruit applicants. recornmended for all). Reviews Commission Yes specialized applications for City Clerk publishes informational materials on No policies/procedures and conflicts on interest. Also (510) 981-6900 term limits. different advisory bodies website, receive, and circulates applications to Staff posted online for the public to view. Video was and Council. prouduced by a local cable channel (for a cost), but was written by and features staff members. Council recently changed the policy so that Email distribution list, newspapers, send Going to begin mailing vacancy announcements to a CITY OF MENLO PARK random selection of all registered voters (3 or 4 650-330-6620 all recruiting will soon be done during the Yes General Application, with announcement to Chamber of Commerce and No people from each neighborhood -total 50-60). They first 3 months of the year, for supplemental questions as needed service organizations, Council Meeting put the voter roll into an excel database and selected apppointments in April. announcment. at random. Yes. Applications are CITY OF LOS ALTOS HILLS presented to Council as (650) 941-7222 Year round they are submitted (for General application Webs.ite, legal notice in the newspaper, No those advisory bodies announcement in the town newsletter which have a current vacancy). Year round. Vacancies are filied CITY OF SUNNYVALE throughout the year. They have one major Yes, and kept on file for (408) 730-7483 advertising period in the Spring for General application Summer appointments (all terms end in one year. June).