Burbank council reviews overhaul of boards, commissions and committees

Burbank City Clerk Kimberly Clark presented a citywide review of the city's boards, commissions and committees to the Burbank City Council on Feb. 4, recommending a set of changes that would standardize membership sizes, tighten attendance rules and consolidate some advisory bodies.

"Tonight's report is a first step only to gather the council's input and direction on proposed changes to the city's BCC's," Clark told the council during the presentation.

The report, developed with department staff, noted that a survey of 52 comparable cities found an average of 12 boards and commissions composed of five to seven members; Burbank's current panels range from five to nine members, with the youth board at 17. Clark recommended a consistent composition (five members or up to seven for some groups), a simpler attendance rule (three missed regular meetings in an August 1'July 31 year would trigger a staff report to council) and mandatory training and a code-of-conduct acknowledgment for appointees.

Council members discussed the recommendations at length and signaled a number of directions to staff rather than adopting immediate ordinance changes. Council consensus and staff direction included: - Move toward consistent BCC membership sizes (five to seven members generally), with the…