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Moreno Valley council approves uniform rules for advisory boards and commissions
Summary
The City Council on March 18 approved a rewrite of rules for advisory boards and commissions, replacing scattered provisions in Title 2 of the municipal code with a single chapter and amending the city's legislative policy to standardize duties, appointments and meeting rules.
Patty Rodriguez, Moreno Valley city clerk, presented a staff report Wednesday night recommending a consolidated chapter in the municipal code and an amended legislative policy to clarify powers, duties and meeting rules for the city's advisory boards and commissions.
"So the item before you is, to go over the our new, newly revised City Council advisory boards and commissions," Rodriguez told the council during the staff presentation, describing inconsistencies in the current Title 2 provisions and a proposed replacement chapter (chapter 2.2) and a revision to Legislative Policy 1.1.
The proposed changes standardize appointment and eligibility procedures, set uniform meeting requirements and clarify board duties to avoid overlap between bodies. Rodriguez listed the proposed advisory bodies by name: Public Arts Commission; Environmental and Historical Preservation Commission; Library Commission; Parks, Community Services and Trails Commission; Senior Citizens Commission; Traffic Safety Commission; and Utilities Commission.
During public comment, Nathan Urena spoke on behalf of the Environmental and Historical Preservation Board and asked that the council approve a motto the board adopted at its March 10 meeting: "protect, defend, and promote our heritage through preservation." Roy Blecker urged the council to ensure the reforms produce fully functional, well-attended boards.
Council member Bernard moved to approve staff's recommendations; Council member Delgado seconded the motion. The council voted unanimously in favor: Council member Bernard, Council member Gonzales, Council member Delgado and Mayor Cabrera voted yes; Mayor Pro Tem Boca Santa Cruz was absent. The motion approved the ordinance replacement of the Title 2 advisory provisions with chapter 2.2 and amended Legislative Policy 1.1 as described in the staff report.
The council did not request substantive changes to the staff draft during the meeting. Staff told the council the rewrite would produce clearer, non-overlapping duties for each advisory body and standardized procedures for appointments, term lengths and meeting practices.
The Environmental and Historical Preservation Board's requested motto was raised during public comment; the council did not take an additional, separate vote on the motto during this meeting. Staff and the board representative indicated the motto had been approved by that board and was being presented for council acknowledgment.
The city clerk indicated the new chapter and policy would replace the current, fragmented rules and provide a consistent framework for advisory boards and commissions going forward. The council approved the staff recommendations and the meeting record shows the ordinance/policy changes will be effectuated through the city's normal adoption and implementation processes.
Council members and staff left the meeting with the expectation that implementation details, including appointment timelines and any scheduling changes for boards and commissions, would be handled by the city clerk's office and communicated to the public and existing advisory members.
