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Moreno Valley council approves new attendance reporting for advisory-board liaisons
Summary
On Sept. 16 the Moreno Valley City Council voted 4-0 to revise Policy 1.1 to add monthly attendance reporting for council liaisons to advisory boards and commissions and to include those liaisons on a rolling annual transparency report to be prepared by the city clerk.
Moreno Valley City Council on Sept. 16 approved a revision to Policy 1.1 that requires council liaisons to advisory boards and commissions to be included on a rolling annual attendance report compiled by the city clerk.
The council voted 4-0 (Council member Delgado absent) to adopt the staff-recommended change after a staff report from City Manager Brian Mohan outlined how department liaisons will forward attendance sheets to the city clerk and the clerk will include council-liaison attendance in a monthly report that displays a rolling 12-month record.
Mohan told the council the revision adds a new subsection to section T of Policy 1.1 to formalize the attendance-reporting process and to clarify the standard language already in the policy. Mohan said the new subsection is “very similar to the attendance sheet that council recently approved for the council boards and commissions themselves,” and noted the language defines the fiscal-year window of July 1 through June 30 for reporting.
During deliberations council members debated whether to keep a sentence in section T that says a council liaison “shall attend at least one advisory board or commission meeting per fiscal year.” Some members said the language sets a clear expectation; others said it was redundant because liaisons typically attend meetings and availability can vary because of scheduling conflicts or other duties. The council ultimately approved the staff recommendation as presented.
Two members of the public who spoke during the item, Christopher Baca and Roy Bleckard, urged increased scrutiny of staff and broader transparency, arguing in public comment that the city should examine staff practices and outside memberships. Their remarks were not part of the council’s deliberations but were directed at the general topic of transparency and governance.
The revised Policy 1.1 requires departments to forward liaison attendance sheets to the city clerk and for the clerk to include liaison attendance on a monthly council report on a rolling annual basis. Council members said the change is intended to increase transparency about council engagement with advisory bodies while retaining flexibility for liaisons who face scheduling conflicts.
The motion to approve the staff recommendation passed by roll-call vote: four yeses, zero nos, one absent. The policy change will be reflected in the next monthly report from the city clerk and can be reviewed by the council when advisory commission seats are reappointed at the end of the year.
