Corte Madera finance advisory committee names chair and vice chair, agrees to quarterly meetings

Carl Spurzin was elected chair and Larry Reid was elected vice chair of the Town of Corte Madera Finance Advisory Committee during the group’s first meeting, town staff said. The committee, formed by a Town Council resolution, will meet quarterly and operate under the California Brown Act, staff said. The committee’s role is advisory. Town Manager Adam Wolf told members the body will review fiscal policy, investment and financing strategies, capital and operating forecasts, and provide recommendations to the Town Council when requested. Wolf said the council may ask the group for specific recommendations that staff would then include in council reports. Town Clerk Lorena Barrera reviewed Brown Act basics and meeting logistics; she is the committee’s staff contact for meeting procedures and public-notice rules. Wolf and Finance Director Chris Petlock said that committee meetings are public and that any recommendations intended for Council would be packaged as staff reports and presented in an open meeting. At the meeting the committee agreed to a recurring meeting schedule on the first Thursday of November, February, May and August, with meetings targeted from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Wolf and staff said the schedule is intended to align with quarterly financial reporting and to provide regular opportunities to review budget and capital planning materials. The committee discussed meeting conduct and parliamentary procedure; Wolf said the committee would follow standard public-meeting rules and that staff would provide any additional procedural guidance. Members were reminded that committee discussions are public and that referrals or formal recommendations to Council require an explicit vote and a staff report. The meeting concluded with staff offering members access to the town’s financial transparency portal and instructions for submitting future agenda items and questions.