HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 2607-6526CITY OF PALO ALTO
CITY COUNCIL
Special Meeting
Monday, August 10, 2026
Council Chambers & Hybrid
5:30 PM
Agenda Item
22.Adoption of a Resolution to Reduce the Membership of the Stormwater Management
Oversight Committee and Direction Related to an Amendment to the Palo Alto
Municipal Code to Streamline the Functions of the Historic Resources Board; CEQA
Status - Not a Project
City Council
Staff Report
From: City Clerk & City Manager
Report Type: ACTION ITEMS
Lead Department: City Clerk
Meeting Date: August 10, 2026
Report #:2607-6526
TITLE
Adoption of a Resolution to Reduce the Membership of the Stormwater Management Oversight
Committee and Direction Related to an Amendment to the Palo Alto Municipal Code to
Streamline the Functions of the Historic Resources Board; CEQA Status - Not a Project
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a Resolution to reduce the membership of the Stormwater Management
Oversight Committee from seven (7) members to five (5) members.
2. Discuss and provide staff direction regarding adoption of an Ordinance amending the
Palo Alto Municipal Code to authorize the Planning and Development Services Director
to designate a Historic Preservation Officer to perform certain Historic Resources Board
functions.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Despite extensive recruiting efforts, the City’s Historic Resources Board and Stormwater
Management Oversight Committee have experienced difficulties in attracting a sufficient
number of qualified community volunteers to meet each body’s established responsibilities.
Staff recommends adoption of a resolution and targeted amendments to the Palo Alto
Municipal Code intended to improve administrative efficiency and ensure continuity of City
operations.
The resolution would reduce the membership of the Stormwater Management Oversight
Committee (SMOC) from seven members to five members. Staff has experienced ongoing
challenges recruiting and maintaining seven active members and continuing to satisfy quorum
requirements. Reducing committee membership will improve the Committee's ability to
conduct regular business while maintaining diverse community representation.
An ordinance amendment would authorize the Planning and Development Services Director to
designate a Historic Preservation Officer to carry out specific administrative responsibilities
currently assigned to the Historic Resources Board (HRB) to reduce delays in the event of a lack
of quorum due to vacancies, recusals, or other circumstances that prevent the Board from
taking action under the Ralph M. Brown Act.
BACKGROUND
Stormwater Management Oversight Committee: The Stormwater Management Oversight
Committee currently consists of seven members. Over several recruitment cycles, staff has
experienced difficulty recruiting and retaining sufficient qualified applicants to consistently fill
all seven seats. Vacancies increase the likelihood that meetings cannot achieve quorum, limiting
the Committee's ability to conduct business.
Historic Resources Board: The Historic Resources Board is responsible for performing various
duties established within the Municipal Code, including certain administrative actions
delegated by ordinance. In limited circumstances, the Board has been unable to establish a
quorum because of vacancies, recusals due to conflicts of interest, or other attendance
limitations. When this occurs, required project reviews may be delayed, even when minor in
nature.
ANALYSIS
Stormwater Management Oversight Committee
Reducing committee membership to five members would better align with current recruitment
realities while maintaining effective community oversight and participation. Staff believes
reducing committee membership from seven to five members provides several benefits. These
include:
Improved ability to establish quorum
Reduced recruitment challenges
Increased operational efficiency
Continued effective public representation
Five-member advisory bodies are common throughout the City's board and commission
structure and continue to provide robust community participation while improving meeting
reliability.
No changes are proposed to the Committee's responsibilities, authority, or reporting
relationship.
Historic Resources Board
The proposed amendment would authorize the Planning and Development Services Director to
designate a Historic Preservation Officer to perform administrative functions similar to the staff
level minor architectural review process to reduce the frequency of project review delays due
to lack of quorum. Staff recommends that some projects that would currently go to the Historic
Resources Board for review to be processed at the staff level including but not limited to: (1)
signs, (2) minor changes to previously approved projects, and (3) landscape plans, fences,
exterior remodeling, parking design, and removal of inappropriate additions or alterations to
historic structures. The Historic Resources Board would still be charged with recommendations
on designating historic buildings and applications that would affect the historic integrity of
listed resources.
The draft amendment would be developed to align the City's Historic Preservation Program
with the streamlined administrative processes recently adopted by a number of Certified Local
Governments (CLGs). These efforts of communities across the state have delegated routine
administrative tasks and reviews previously assigned to historic preservation commissions to
staff through Director designation or delegation. The proposed amendment reduces process
delays caused by limited situations where the Historic Resources Board is unable to legally act.
Examples include:
Multiple vacancies
Required recusals resulting from conflicts of interest
Extended absences
Without this amendment, routine administrative matters may remain pending until sufficient
Board members are available.
The California Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) must review and comment on ordinance
changes before adoption, and staff will update the City Council on any OHP feedback when
returning with the draft ordinance.
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
The proposed Municipal Code amendments have no direct fiscal impact.
The Historic Resources Board amendment is expected to improve administrative efficiency by
reducing delays associated with quorum limitations.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
ATTACHMENTS
APPROVED BY:
*NOT YET APPROVED*
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Resolution No. ____
Resolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Amending and Restating
Resolution 10246 for the Storm Water Management Oversight Committee to
Reduce Membership from Seven Members to Five Members
R E C I T A L S
A. On November 14, 2005, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 8573,
establishing the Storm Drain Oversight Committee to review the proposed operating and capital
budget of the Storm Drainage Fund and the year-end financial report documenting the
expenditures of the Storm Drainage Fund in the previous fiscal year.
B. On August 29, 2016, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 9624, calling a Mail
Ballot Election in connection with the City’s proposed Storm Water Management Fee.
C. On October 24, 2016, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 9635, proposing a
Storm Water Management Fee to replace the Storm Drainage Fee, calling a Public Hearing for
October 24, 2016 with respect to such Fee and adopting Procedures relating to the conduct of a
Protest Hearing and Mail Ballot Election.
D. On May 1, 2017, the City Council adopted Resolution 9677, which replaced the
Storm Drain Oversight Committee with the Storm Water Management Oversight Committee.
E. On June 21, 2021, the City Council adopted Resolution 9969, which imposed term
limits on members of the Storm Water Management Oversight Committee by amending and
restating Resolution 9677. The City Council also moved the recruitment period to March from
the past practice of May appointments.
F. On December 2, 2024, the City Council adopted Resolution 10200 to move the
recruitment period to November to coincide with other boards and commissions with the same
recruitment period. Existing terms will be extended to October 31. Going forward, terms begin
on November 1.
G. On August 11, 2025, the City Council adopted Resolution 10246 to require the
election of a chairperson and vice chairperson by adding Section 2.5 to the existing provisions,
consistent with existing practice and other boards and commissions of the City.
H. The City Council now intends to reduce the membership of the Storm Water
Management Oversight Committee from seven members to five members.
NOW, THEREFORE, the Council of the City of Palo Alto RESOLVES as follows:
*NOT YET APPROVED*
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SECTION 1. The Storm Drain Oversight Committee is decommissioned effective May
31, 2017.
SECTION 2. Committee Established. The City of Palo Alto Storm Water Management
Oversight Committee is hereby created to review proposed storm water management capital
improvements and operating programs to be funded from the Storm Water Management Fees
and to monitor expenditures of the fund.
SECTION 2.5. Chairperson and Vice Chairperson. The Committee shall elect a
chairperson and a vice chairperson from its membership who shall serve in such capacity for one
year each, or until a successor is elected, unless his or her term as a member of the Committee
sooner expires.
SECTION 3. Committee Membership and Appointment. The Committee shall consist
of five members who are selected and appointed by the City Council for a term of four years.
Committee members shall serve without compensation. Each Committee member shall be a
resident of Palo Alto, an employee of a business located in Palo Alto or an owner of real property
within the City. No member shall be a council member, officer or employee of the City. Effective
January 1, 2022, terms of office due to expire on May 31 of each year shall be extended to expire
on March 14 of the following year, and thereafter terms of office shall commence on March 15.
Effective January 1, 2025, terms of office due to expire on March 14 of each year shall be
extended to expire on October 31 of the same year, and thereafter terms of office shall
commence on November 1.
SECTION 4. Term limits. Effective January 1, 2022, no person may serve more than two
consecutive terms of office as a member of the Committee.
(a) For the purposes of this section, a member will be considered to have served a
term of office if he or she serves more than two years within one term.
(b) A member’s service that began on or before January 1, 2022 shall count under the
provisions of this section only for those members who served for at least one day on the
Committee between January 1, 2021 and January 1, 2022. Notwithstanding the previous
sentence, members on Committee as of January 1, 2022 shall be permitted to complete
their term.
(c) A member who has served two consecutive terms of office may remain as a
member of the Committee for up to six months past the end of the term if no replacement
is appointed or until a replacement is appointed, whichever comes first.
(d) A member who has served two consecutive terms of office shall not be appointed
to the Committee within one year of the last date of service.
SECTION 5. Committee Duties. The Committee shall discharge its oversight duties by:
(a) Meeting at least once a year to review the proposed operating and capital budgets
of the Storm Water Management Fund for the next fiscal year. The Committee
shall prepare a report documenting its findings with respect to the proposed
*NOT YET APPROVED*
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budget and submit the report to the Finance Committee of the City Council prior
to June 30th each year.
(b) Meeting at least once a year to review the year-end financial report documenting
the expenditures of the Storm Water Management Fund in the previous fiscal year.
The Committee shall prepare a report documenting its findings with respect to the
expenditures and submit the report to the City Council prior to May 31st each year.
SECTION 6. Meeting Procedures. The Committee shall conduct open public meetings,
duly noticed in accordance with the Ralph M. Brown Act. The Committee may establish rules and
procedures governing the conduct of its meetings.
SECTION 7. The City Clerk is directed to place advertisements announcing Committee
vacancies in a newspaper of general circulation in the City, two times within a two week period.
SECTION 8. This resolution supersedes Resolution 10246.
SECTION 9. This resolution shall be effective upon adoption.
SECTION 10. This amendment to Resolution 10246 is categorically exempt under CEQA
regulation 15320 because it is a change in the organization of a local government agency that
does not affect the geographical area in which previously existing powers are exercised.
INTRODUCED AND PASSED:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTENTIONS:
ATTEST:
___________________________________ ____________________________________
City Clerk Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM: APPROVED:
___________________________________ ____________________________________
Deputy City Attorney City Manager
____________________________________
Director of Public Works