Mariposa County advisory committee urges staff to keep planning committees active

County staff opened the meeting by describing Board of Supervisors direction to evaluate whether some planning advisory committees that have been inactive should be downsized or dissolved and whether town halls could replace committee hearings. Danielle Bradshaw (county staff) said staff is seeking each committee’s input and will report committee preferences back to the Board.

Bradshaw explained staffing burdens, noticing obligations under the Maddy Act and Brown Act quorum constraints as reasons the Board directed staff to evaluate alternatives. "We have quite a few committees that some of which are inactive or have been for a while," she said, and urged committee members to provide their views.

Supervisor Shannon Powell told attendees she "has absolutely no plan whatsoever to eliminate any of these committees" but acknowledged the county has struggled to recruit members and that the committees consume staff time when they are dormant. Powell said the Board is considering administrative changes — such as designating a staff member to manage committee minutes and recruitment — to keep the bodies active without increasing costs.

Bradshaw said the committee had expressed that it did not want to be dissolved and that staff would note that preference when the Board takes the matter up. The committee moved on to other agenda items after the discussion.

What’s next: Staff will report committee feedback to the Board of Supervisors in the Board’s upcoming consideration of committee restructuring; the committee’s preference to remain active will be included in that staff report.