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Council reviews committee handbook rewrite; debates SB 707 teleconferencing rules, quorum definition and residency limits
Summary
Staff and a volunteer working group presented proposed updates to the town's committee and advisory handbook, highlighting SB 707 teleconferencing flexibility for subsidiary advisory bodies, revised vacancy-notice options, adjusted quorum language to allow committees with vacancies to meet, and proposed clearer rules on residency and removal appeals; the council provided direction to staff and the working group but took no ordinance action.
Staff and a working-group representative presented an extensive set of proposed edits to the Portola Valley commission and advisory committee handbook intended to modernize and simplify committee operations.
Corey (staff) summarized the staff recommendations: separate Brown Act advisory committees from town-manager committees (which are not Brown Act bodies), update vacancy-notice practices to include website and newsletter posting, align committee calendars with fiscal-year budget work, incorporate AB 1234 ethics/harassment training timing, and trim quorum language so committees with unfilled rosters can still meet based on published agenda membership. Corey also previewed SB 707, which offers expanded teleconferencing flexibility for non-decision-making subsidiary bodies if the council elects to authorize that option.
Patty, representing the working group that reviewed the handbook, urged simplifying and reorganizing the document, reducing procedural detail in favor of higher-level guidance and references, and adding clear, accessible scripts and examples (for example, a short Rosenberg'style script for chairs to run meetings without needing to read a long parliamentary manual).
Council discussion covered several contested topics: whether recruitment should be rolling or concentrated in fixed "recruitment windows," who may remove committee members and whether the mayor should have unilateral removal authority (several councilors recommended full-council removal or a clear appeals pathway), and whether residency requirements should be strict town domicile, include sphere-of-influence or school-district exceptions, or allow case-by-case waivers. Town Attorney Catherine clarified SB 707'related teleconferencing rules apply to purely advisory subsidiary bodies, not to commissions that have decision-making authority. Several council members recommended clearer administrative processes for keeping committee rosters current and that chairs (and vice-chairs) receive Brown Act training.
No policy or ordinance was adopted; staff was directed to continue drafting and to work with the working group to return a revised handbook for council consideration. Council members also asked staff to consider whether to produce a single handbook with distinct sections (commissions, Brown Act committees, town-manager committees) or separate documents for greater clarity.
