Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Appointments And Boards topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Brentwood commissioners debate formalizing 'one person, one board' practice for volunteer appointments
Summary
Commissioners discussed whether to codify a long-standing practice limiting volunteers to one appointed board, how to handle exceptions, whether volunteers elected to commission should vacate their board seat, and improvements to notification of appointments. No formal policy was adopted during the meeting.
At the May 12 meeting commissioners examined a longstanding local practice that typically limits a citizen to serving on one volunteer board and discussed whether to convert that practice into a formal policy or code provision.
Discussion covered three main questions: whether to keep the one-person/one-board practice or allow multiple appointments; whether to require appointed volunteers who are elected to the commission to vacate their volunteer seat upon being sworn in; and how to handle spouses or family members serving on volunteer boards. Commissioners noted historical exceptions and said some representative liaison roles (for instance, a planning-commission appointee serving on related boards) may need special treatment.
Participants proposed options including codifying a default rule of one person, one board with a narrow exception allowing additional service when a particular board lacks enough members to operate; requiring a volunteer elected to the commission to vacate the volunteer seat upon swearing-in; and improving administrative notifications by emailing commissioners when appointments are made. No formal ordinance or policy language was adopted at the meeting; commissioners asked staff to consider wording and whether to implement the change by city policy, by resolution, or through individual board bylaws.
