Commission adopts revised 2025 Community Services work plan; staff, commissioners clarify roles

The Community Services Commission voted Sept. 8 to adopt a revised 2025 work plan that staff and the commission said better aligns commissioner activities with the priorities set by the City Council.

The revised plan reflects edits made after discussions between Chair Samuels, staff and the city manager's office, staff said. Commissioners debated the scope of commissioner involvement for specific items: some work-plan tasks are framed as commission recommendations to staff, while others call for active commissioner assistance such as the "Adopt a Park" program, where each commissioner will act as a local liaison and report maintenance or safety observations to staff.

Commissioner responsibilities: staff clarified the distinction between recommending policy or guideline changes (a commission role) and performing staff functions. Examples include reviewing staff recommendations for the Arroyo Seco Golf Course RFQ, assessing permitting guidelines and providing community outreach or feedback to inform staff analyses. Commissioners may gather community input and suggest changes but do not unilaterally direct staff operations.

Vote and next steps: the commission approved the third draft of the work plan by roll call; all commissioners present voted yes. Staff said it will return items for commission input in a more organized, timely fashion and asked commissioners to help promote department communications and community surveys.