Portland governance committee debates new procedures for appointments, committee referrals and public testimony

Portland’s Governance Committee spent its Feb. 10 meeting discussing draft resolutions that would set internal procedures for how nominations, ordinances and reports move between committees and full City Council, and how the city will handle public testimony on items that have already been considered in committee.

Committee leaders said the goal is to balance transparency and efficiency as Portland transitions to a district form of government and a new council structure. The discussion covered a proposed internal process for posting nominees for boards and commissions, whether nominees should be asked to appear before the Governance Committee, how and when policy committees should be looped in, and limits or approaches for public testimony at full council after an item has been heard in committee.

Council President Pertel Guinee and Chair Koyama Lane explained a draft resolution to require administration-submitted appointee materials to be provided to council leadership and the Governance Committee at least one week before the posting deadline for committee agendas, giving council time to review nominees. The draft would send…