Garland parks board forms three-member committee to rewrite mission and objectives

Board members spent a substantial portion of the meeting reviewing a proposed mission and discussing objectives and tone for the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.

Dolly Williams, managing director, explained staff prepared the suggested language as a starting point and said the board's final mission should be rooted in the board's bylaws. "I think before you can really get into the goals, maybe it's a good discussion point for you all to figure out, like, why are we here? What's our purpose?" Williams said.

Board members proposed emphasis on several themes, including improved interdepartmental communication, community engagement, education and intergenerational programming. "Conduit of citizen feedback," one board member suggested as an objective to sit under a broader mission. Several members urged keeping the mission concise so it would be memorable.

The board agreed to form a mission-statement subcommittee to draft options for the full board to review. Volunteers identified for the committee were Libby Odom, Rochelle Rand and Molly Bishop; staff said the committee meeting would be posted and the draft would return to the full board as an action item when ready.

Members also discussed the board's advisory role and the cadence for annual review: staff recommended reassessing the mission after the yearly election of officers.

The board did not adopt a final mission at the meeting; the appointed subcommittee will bring options back for action at a future meeting.