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Committee advances draft decision-making guide to improve transparency and staff-commission coordination
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Summary
Morgan Carlson presented a working draft of a decision-making guide designed to prompt staff and commissioners to clarify objectives, required information, and areas of agreement and uncertainty; commissioners endorsed iterative review with staff and set a target to seek commission agreement by fall 2026.
Morgan Carlson presented the committee’s draft decision‑making project during the Feb. 12 meeting, describing a product built from prior commission tools and designed to prompt three core questions: what is the objective, what supporting information is needed, and where are areas of agreement/disagreement and certainty/uncertainty.
Carlson described how the draft draws on existing tools — the summary (blue) sheet and earlier science-policy materials — and would include practical prompts for staff preparation (who has been consulted, subject-matter experts, relevant statutes and precedents), decision‑critical information, metrics, and risk considerations. "What is the topic? What are we trying to do?" she asked as a framing device; she also proposed that the committee and staff iterate the product and that the group aim to seek commission agreement by fall 2026.
Commissioner Barbara Baker called the project "imperative" and urged that staff be encouraged to present clear, candid preparation so commissioners are answering the same questions. "I think the staff needs to go through some version of this as well," Baker said, emphasizing that the guide should be useful to both staff and commissioners. Commissioner Steve Parker supported a structured, stepwise protocol that would increase transparency for stakeholders about what information will be brought forward and how decisions will be reached.
Members agreed that Chair Lemekul and Carlson should begin iterative work with agency staff to refine the questions, identify necessary decision support tools, and determine which topics require faster or more iterative treatment. The committee expects to return to the guidance at least twice during the coming months and to pilot a polished draft on one or more topics before seeking full commission adoption.
Next steps: Carlson will coordinate with staff to scope the iteration, identify pilot topics, and report progress to the committee at future meetings.
