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Council instructs staff to interview all applicants for Planning and Parks commissions; councils to submit interview questions by Friday
Summary
The council directed staff to interview all applicants for the Planning Commission (11 applicants) and Parks & Community Services Commission (10 applicants). Councillors will submit proposed interview questions to staff in advance so duplicates can be removed; interviews are expected as evening sessions after 5 p.m.
The San Ramon City Council gave staff direction Tuesday to interview all applicants who applied for two upcoming commission vacancies: 11 applicants for the Planning Commission and 10 applicants for the Parks & Community Services Commission.
Clerk staff told the council the Planning Commission has five members with staggered terms and three seats expiring June 30; the Parks & Community Services Commission has seven members and four seats expiring. Staff noted that interviewing every applicant would require multiple hours and suggested two-day scheduling or condensed evening sessions.
Council members debated process details including interview length, number of questions and fairness. The city attorney advised that the most defensible process is to ensure equality — candidates should be asked the same pre-determined questions. Council directed staff to accept proposed interview questions from council members and return a compiled list so duplicates can be removed before the public interviews. The council also agreed to a target window of roughly a four-hour evening meeting (after 5 p.m.) to complete the Planning Commission interviews; similar scheduling will apply to the Parks Commission item.
Staff told council that if every Planning Commission applicant is interviewed using the estimated time-per-candidate the total interview time would be roughly four hours, plus time for deliberations. The clerk recommended spreading very long interview schedules over two dates for staff and candidate convenience; council members discussed holding interviews on a weekday evening or a Saturday special meeting to avoid conflicts with work schedules.
City staff will publish a schedule once council members submit questions; council members were asked to submit proposed questions as soon as possible and, if convenient, by the end of the coming week so staff can finalize the timetable and public notice.
The council also agreed on guidance for interview conduct: identical initial questions for all candidates, limited clarifying questions permitted when a candidate requests clarification, and deliberation to follow in public session.
