Council approves direction to consolidate some commissions, keep disabilities commission standalone
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Summary
After public testimony and debate, the council directed staff to proceed with many of the clerk's consolidation recommendations for boards and commissions while preserving the Disabilities Commission as a separate body and keeping residency requirements for the Landmarks Commission.
The city clerk presented a five-year review of boards and commissions and suggested a set of consolidations and process reforms intended to improve efficiency and strengthen advisory outcomes.
Staff proposals included converting the Urban Forest Task Force into a permanent commission, consolidating the Disabilities, Housing and Human Services commissions into a single Housing & Human Services Commission, reducing membership on the Arts and Public Safety Reform commissions to seven, and removing council-liaison roles, among other items.
Public comment and two commissioners who spoke urged preserving the Disabilities Commission as a stand-alone body. Council debate focused on tradeoffs between elevating lived experience through consolidated commissions and preserving focused advocacy and civil-rights representation.
Council motion: After deliberation, the council provided direction to proceed with many staff recommendations but explicitly kept the Disabilities Commission separate, preserved residency requirements for the Landmarks Commission, removed term limits for certain external district appointments (Vector Control and Metropolitan Water District), and directed that any commissioners on consolidated bodies must reapply; priority would not be given to incumbents.
Next steps: staff will return with amended resolutions, ordinances and implementation steps, and will fill vacancies consistent with council direction.