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CDC working groups briefed on onboarding, elections and retreat planning; commissioners asked to provide bios and agenda items
Summary
Vice Chair Achilles and other commissioners updated the Community Development Commission on onboarding and elections working groups, requested bios from new commissioners, and said retreat dates and facilitator availability are pending. Staff will compile future agenda items into a shared spreadsheet and follow up by email.
The Community Development Commission received briefings on the elections and onboarding working groups on May 13, and commissioners discussed future agenda items and retreat planning.
Vice Chair Achilles said the onboarding working group is compiling materials for new commissioners, including training resources and an onboarding manual. Achilles asked new commissioners to send biographical summaries to help populate an onboarding binder and noted the group is preparing initial training resources that will be shared via email. The onboarding material is being developed by volunteers and will be released incrementally.
On elections, commissioners said they will follow up with newly seated elected commissioners to document any concerns or process recommendations. Staff member Ed said he would coordinate with the City Clerk’s Office about any email or access issues for new commissioners.
The commission discussed planning a retreat (onboarding/strategy session) to allocate time outside regular meetings for deeper planning and to develop a shared agenda and goals. Achilles and staff said they were working with a facilitator and the Parks and Recreation Department (PDC) to identify available dates and would circulate date options by email; final scheduling will be put on an agenda for a formal vote once dates are confirmed. Commissioners were reminded the retreat is a public meeting and must follow open-meeting rules.
Future agenda items discussed included a South Central Waterfront board appointment to be made by the CDC at the next meeting, a requested presentation from ATX Free Fridge, a presentation from a housing coalition on home repair (commissioners volunteered to sponsor outreach), and potential participation by Austin Energy on home-repair outreach. Staff said they will maintain a shared spreadsheet of proposed future agenda items and follow up via email for clarification on proposals.
Why it matters: Onboarding and an organized retreat are intended to help the commission be more effective in setting priorities and demonstrating outreach to community partners. The shared spreadsheet and staff follow-up aim to streamline agenda planning and ensure presenters have sufficient information when they are scheduled.
Next steps: Commissioners should send bios to the onboarding group, expect emails from staff about scheduling and agenda items, and staff will follow up on scheduling the retreat and South Central Waterfront board appointment.
