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City staff outlines suggested clarifications to Parks & Rec enabling ordinance and agenda process
Summary
City council executive Don Kreher told the Parks and Recreation Board the enabling ordinance and internal rules may be revised to align with current practice, and he described how agendas are set, quorum and attendance rules, and the board’s advisory role.
Don Kreher, council executive for Pensacola, told the Parks and Recreation Board on Tuesday that the city intends to amend the board’s enabling ordinance to bring it into alignment with current rules and procedures and with council practice.
“Members of the Parks and Recreation Board shall engage with the citizens of Pensacola and be liaisons to the public,” Kreher read from the existing ordinance, and he said the language may be updated to reflect current expectations for the advisory board. Kreher emphasized the board is advisory and said advice is usually best routed through staff before going to council.
Kreher described several specific procedural points: the board’s membership is nine, so a quorum is five and, under the proposed language, an item requires five affirmative votes to pass (a majority of the existing membership). Attendance standards in the proposed revisions would allow a member to miss no more than 25% of meetings in a year or three consecutive meetings before removal processes are considered.
Kreher also described how city agendas are prepared: on the city side, only the mayor or individual council members may place items on the City Council agenda; staff works with council members and administration to refine items before publication. He explained the council publishes its agenda on Tuesday for the Thursday meeting and holds an agenda conference the Monday before the Thursday meeting to review revisions. “Nothing changes on that agenda until after the agenda conference on Monday,” he said.
Board members used the session to press for earlier notice of items that affect parks. Several members asked for a standing meeting between the board chair and Director Shands (Parks and Recreation) roughly 7–10 days before the board meeting so the chair can review the agenda before it is released to the public. The board and director agreed to discuss a timeline that would provide the board roughly seven days of public notice before its meeting.
Kreher cautioned board members that when they speak at City Council, unless the board has voted to authorize them to speak on its behalf, they must clarify they are speaking as individuals or as representatives of their district rather than for the Parks and Recreation Board.
Ending: The board asked staff to explore an internal timeline and meet with the chair before agendas are posted so advisory members have consistent notice and can review items affecting parks and facilities.
