Council directs staff to draft code changes for city commissions and committees, with ad hoc oversight

The City Council directed staff to work with an ad hoc council committee to finalize proposed changes to city commissions, boards and committees and to prepare amendments to the Redlands Municipal Code for council consideration in September.

Councilmembers Barich and another councilmember reported on an April ad hoc review and on interviews with commission chairs. Recommendations include standardizing meeting templates, adopting a two-term standard (two four‑year terms) with extensions by four-fifths council vote, moving many advisory bodies to quarterly meetings (with exceptions such as the Library Board and Measure T oversight), and converting the standalone Street Tree Committee into a Street Tree Commission to align naming conventions. Staff said items would start in 2026 and that reductions in commission size would occur by attrition rather than removal of sitting members.

The Redlands Chamber of Commerce vice president, Patrick Roskam, urged the council to maintain meeting frequency for certain commissions (particularly Traffic and Parking) or at least provide clear criteria for what constitutes sufficient agenda items so the public and applicants are not delayed. Councilmembers and staff said that special or interim meetings can be called by a commission chair or three members, and that staff will return in September with drafted charters and procedures specifying how agendas are created and how special meetings are requested.

The council voted to direct staff to work with the ad hoc committee and prepare code amendments and new charters to return for adoption in September. The motion passed by roll call with recorded affirmative votes from Councilmember Barich, Councilmember Tejeda, Councilmember Davis, Mayor Pro Tem Shaw and Mayor Sacedo.