Residents urge changes to board attendance rules as vacancies persist on North Port advisory boards

North Port — Multiple public commenters at the City Commission meeting on Nov. 6 urged changes to how the city fills and manages advisory-board seats, pointing to several vacancies and asking the commission to consider excusing absences in some cases and increasing outreach to recruit members.

Joe Morgan said some board members have missed meetings due to illness or mobility issues and recommended a review process that can consider excusing absences. "We've had people with mobility issues that they couldn't walk into City Hall, so they couldn't be there," Morgan said, asking the commission to consider a review board or a caveat in attendance rules for medical or mobility problems.

Steven Harrison, who said he is a deputy at the Manatee County Sheriff's Office and applied to the charter review board (which he said the commission will vote on the 18th), listed specific vacancy counts and outreach suggestions: "The art advisory board has 7 vacancies. The auditor selection committee has 5. The charter review board has 4. The environmental advisory board has 7, and the parks and recs has 4," he said. Harrison urged the city to mirror other Florida municipalities that allow a board or the commission to vote to excuse absences and recommended posting vacancies more broadly on social media, in libraries and schools, and in the local newspaper.

Speakers emphasized student involvement as an underused recruitment pool; Joe Morgan suggested allowing more than one student across boards when adults are unavailable. City officials did not take immediate formal action on the attendance policy at the meeting; Harrison flagged the upcoming charter review-board vote as an avenue for continued consideration.

The meeting proceeded to employee introductions and a series of proclamations after public comment.