County clerk proposes centralizing committee staffing; advisory board backs administrative move with caution on water expertise

Danielle Banchu, Clerk of the Board, outlined a proposal to move staffing of county committees from departments to the Clerk’s Office. Under the proposal the Clerk’s Office would hire a single staff member to set agendas, take minutes, coordinate department subject-matter experts and shepherd advisory-board recommendations to the Board of Supervisors. The Clerk characterized the role as administrative support rather than technical oversight.

Members generally expressed support for centralizing administrative functions to improve notice, reduce dropped items, and standardize processes. Several advisory-board members cautioned that the county currently lacks established in-house water expertise and urged safeguards so technical review would remain available. Suggestions included keeping Public Works (or Development Services) as the technical resource, contracting outside specialists where needed, and ensuring counsel reviews committee annual reports and materials to reduce Brown Act exposure.

Clerk Banchu said there is a dedicated water-agency fund that can be used for staffing or contracted expertise; she reported the fund balance at "a little over $200,000" as of discussion in the meeting. Counsel and the Clerk said they will work to provide Brown Act training for committee secretaries and circulate guidance to avoid serial-meeting risks. The board requested periodic communications from administration about the status of items and quarterly budget updates for the water agency fund.

The item was presented as a discussion and direction item; members indicated they were comfortable moving forward with the Clerk’s Office providing administrative oversight while preserving access to technical expertise via departments or contracts. The Clerk said she would take advisory-board feedback to the Board of Supervisors when the county considers any organizational change.