Board asks staff to review county committees and consider moving oversight to Clerk of the Board

Mariposa County officials opened a broad review of the county’s boards, commissions and committees on Jan. 21, seeking to reduce duplication, improve records and ensure public input.

Clerk of the Board Danielle Bonshu told supervisors that the county currently supports scores of committees, some created decades ago with no clear sunset dates. Bonshu said departments currently supervise their own committees and that responsibility could be more uniform and cost-effective if oversight were consolidated under the Clerk of the Board. Her office would handle agenda publication, Brown Act compliance, onboarding and recordkeeping; she said doing so would require an additional full-time staff position.

The proposal drew detailed public comment. Committee members and residents urged preservation of several local advisory groups — notably Wawona’s Town Planning Advisory Committee and the Merced River Trail Community Working Group — citing unique circumstances that they said require continuity and a local voice in discussions with federal or multi-agency partners.

Public comment highlights - Wawona residents urged the board not to dissolve Wawona’s advisory committee, arguing the community’s shared jurisdiction with the National Park Service makes the committee uniquely necessary as a venue for county–park coordination and as a sustained local voice. - Merced River Trail advocates said the county-led working group has made steady progress toward a multi-jurisdiction trail and asked to remain active to protect momentum and coordinate with land managers. - Other speakers urged consolidation of staff support and commended Bonshu’s office for professionalism.

Board direction Supervisors asked staff to take a staged approach: staff will produce a full inventory and classification of county committees (required by law, active, dormant, proposed for dissolution), research how comparable counties manage committee oversight, and return with a cost estimate for adding Clerk of the Board staff to centralize administration. The board asked staff to develop a process so newly created committees include a defined scope, timeline and sunset clause.

Legal and operational notes County counsel reminded the board that advisory committees must comply with the Ralph M. Brown Act; some committees also have statutory mandates. Bonshu and County Administrative Officer Joe Lynch said that if the board approves consolidation, the clerk’s office would create standardized onboarding and training for committee members and a consistent agenda and minute workflow.

Next steps Clerk staff will work with the CAO and departments to assemble a package for board review that includes: (1) a categorized committee inventory, (2) cost and staffing estimates to centralize oversight under the Clerk of the Board, (3) sample charter language with sunset timelines, and (4) a recommended process for public engagement on committee roles.