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Council reviews ad hoc and steering committees; directs staff to return with options
Summary
The council reviewed the status of numerous ad hoc groups and steering committees (financial stewardship, wildfire preparedness, library restoration, Carmel Forest master plan, climate, housing/Yahoo group, police/public works RFP), agreed to keep financial stewardship through the budget cycle, asked staff to return with options to formalize a standing finance committee and to create an RFP review process for the police/public‑works building.
Mayor Byrne led a comprehensive discussion about the future of existing ad hoc committees, steering groups and working groups. He recommended retiring several short‑term groups (parking, pickleball research), sunsetting others on completion (street address working group) and continuing high‑priority efforts such as the financial stewardship work through the current budget cycle. Councilmembers and public participants offered input on which groups should be formalized, continued informally, or sunset.
Key near‑term directions emerging from the discussion:
- Financial stewardship: Council signaled a desire to keep the existing finance work going through the budget adoption and asked staff to return with a recommended mechanism (resolution or policy) to create a standing finance committee meeting under the Brown Act for more formal oversight.
- Police/Public Works building RFP: Staff confirmed the RFP closes in late January and that staff will assemble a review panel; council asked staff to return next month with a plan for a review committee (staff‑led scoring plus appointed council representatives and selected technical experts/citizen advisors as appropriate).
- Wildfire preparedness, housing/Yahoo group and Carmel Forest master plan: Council asked group leads to define near‑term deliverables, limit staff attendance where possible to manage capacity, and return with a sunset or transition plan tied to those deliverables.
The mayor and staff will return to the council with a consolidated recommendation and draft resolution(s) to implement any standing‑committee changes or formal commission proposals at a future meeting.
