Council approves five ad hoc appointment committees to review board and committee applications

The City Council voted unanimously to establish five ad hoc appointment committees to review applications and recommend appointments to the city’s permanent boards and committees. The panels were formed to meet a March 1 deadline in the recently amended boards-and-committees ordinance adopted Dec. 17, 2024.

Staff said the ad hoc panels follow new code provisions intended to restructure boards, change representation rules and standardize appointment procedures. To expedite the first round of appointments under the new structure, staff proposed continuing the three council members who were selected in 2024 (deputy mayor Carr and council members Meyer and Schwab, as noted in the packet) to serve on the ad hoc selection panels for 2025. Staff also said each permanent committee chair nominated a committee member to sit on the respective ad hoc panel and staff selected a staff representative for each panel; the membership tables are included in the council packet (pages I2–I3).

Councilmember Lindsay said she supported the expedited approach for the initial round but urged that the council not make this practice the default going forward, noting broader participation by councilmembers on future appointment panels would be preferable. Councilmember Navarro made the motion to approve the five ad hoc committees with membership as detailed in the packet; the motion passed unanimously.

Staff will schedule interviews and return the panels’ recommendations to the full council for final appointments prior to the March 1 code deadline.