Council asks staff to draft attendance policy for members on external boards

The San Marcos City Council asked staff on Feb. 4 to draft a policy governing councilmembers’ attendance on external boards and intergovernmental bodies, with the intent to return a proposed policy or ordinance for council consideration.

Mayor pro tem (speaker not named in the transcript) introduced the item noting several council representatives to outside boards have missed multiple meetings, which can leave a municipal seat empty and affect the city’s representation. The council discussed whether the policy should be an ordinance or an internal council policy; some members said an ordinance would be more durable. Councilmembers discussed reasonable exceptions—medical leave, family leave—and asked staff to include processes for excused absences and whether a three-consecutive-meeting or missing-half-a-year threshold should trigger resignation or replacement procedures.

Staff and legal counsel said they would draft language based on the existing city boards-and-commissions attendance provisions, make it adaptable to either an ordinance or council policy, and return the draft at an upcoming meeting once staff compiles a list of external boards, meeting frequencies and current council appointments.

Councilmembers asked staff to return the draft quickly; staff said a draft could be prepared for a forthcoming agenda and noted the substance would be the same whether presented as an ordinance or council policy.