Council reappoints Eric Walz to Planning Commission after debate; members ask staff to draft attendance policy

Garden City — The City Council on Dec. 8 reappointed Eric Walz to the Planning Commission following extended discussion about commissioner attendance and calls from several councilmembers for a uniform policy to address chronic absences.

A councilmember who reviewed the reappointment packet said Walz attended fewer than half of commission meetings in the last two years (packet notes cited absences framed as 13 of 19 meetings in the discussion), and urged the council to consider whether reappointment was appropriate. Other councilmembers and the mayor noted the city has had difficulty recruiting qualified volunteers and said an occupied seat is preferable to a vacancy; the mayor said he had discussed attendance with Mr. Walz. Several members proposed a standard policy outlining a review or removal trigger when commissioners miss multiple meetings (suggestions included review after 2–4 missed meetings or after several consecutive absences).

Councilmember King explicitly proposed drafting a formal attendance policy or procedure to apply across boards and commissions; several members suggested staff and the city manager prepare recommendations and bring them back at a future workshop or meeting. City Manager Gibbons said staff would research practices and return with recommendations.

After discussion the council voted 7–0 to appoint Eric Walz to the Planning Commission. Councilmembers said they will continue work on a citywide attendance policy for boards and commissions and consider training and bylaw alignment in the coming weeks.