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Milwaukie staff outline timeline to fill dozens of board and committee seats
Summary
City staff told Mayor Beatty and the City Council the annual board-and-committee recruitment will open in February, seek to fill about 26 seats whose terms expire June 30, and aim to deliver nominees for the first June meeting; planning commission recruitment already returned 11 applications.
Milwaukie city staff presented the fourth annual boards-and-committees recruitment plan to Mayor Beatty and the City Council, laying out a recruitment window from about Feb. 1 to April 1 and a goal of delivering nominees for council consideration by the first June meeting. The plan, staff said, covers roughly 11 standing boards and committees and about 80–90 volunteer positions overall; in the 2025 cycle about 26 positions have terms that expire June 30 and six vacancies already exist.
The recruitment timeline and process were described as follows: an application period opening in early February and closing April 1; a review window in the first weeks of April; a first round of interviews toward the end of April; and a contingent second round if the applicant pool requires additional vetting. Staff said they will share all applications with council and solicit council feedback before scheduling interviews. Interview panels historically include the mayor, one council member, the staff liaison and the board or committee chair; that panel typically reaches a consensus that informs the mayor’s nomination for the council’s consent agenda vote.
Why it matters: the city’s annual cycle consolidates many staggered vacancies so the council can consider multiple nominees at once and maintain alternates to fill midyear openings. Council members and staff emphasized that the process is intended both to recruit new volunteers and to preserve continuity on commissions where terms and turnover vary.
In discussion, councilors and staff addressed term lengths and limits, outreach and screening, and youth recruitment. Staff said most boards have two- or three-year terms, with the planning commission and the budget committee on four‑year terms. Incumbents in good standing who want reappointment are commonly renominated. For recruitment outreach staff plan social media posts, printed postcards and collaboration with the city’s Strategic Engagement team; they will encourage in-person interviews but will offer Zoom options when needed.
Staff noted the planning commission recruitment had already closed and returned 11 applications. Councilors asked who would serve on the planning commission interview panel; councilors volunteered and the mayor indicated an interest in serving. Councilors also raised the possibility of an initial screening step if an application pool becomes large, and staff said they would wait to see how many applicants the city receives before formalizing a screening process.
On youth recruitment, staff said at least two or three youth positions remain open and that the city would reach out to local high schools and college-and-career classes to broaden awareness. Councilors suggested outreach at assemblies and short video snippets from current youth members for use in recruitment materials.
Staff said the goal is for the council to receive a slate of appointees via the consent agenda at the first June meeting; alternates would remain available for midyear vacancies. Councilors and staff agreed to refine the engagement and vetting steps as the application window develops.
Ending: Staff asked council members to keep proposed interview dates in late April and a possible second-round week in mid-May open and invited further input on screening, youth outreach and which councilors want to serve on interview panels.
