Council workshop outlines vacancies, interview process and steps to boost participation on city boards

At a City Council workshop, staff and council members reviewed vacancies across the city’s boards and commissions and discussed next steps for recruiting, verifying applicants and revising ordinances to increase participation.

City staff presented counts and governing rules for several bodies, saying "for a Planning Commission, it's ordinance 219" and noting the ordinances are often silent on whether council must appoint members only from a particular district, which complicates appointments. Staff reported the Parks and Recreation Commission has five members and five vacancies; the Planning Commission has three vacancies; and the Personnel Board currently has one vacancy and is governed by ordinances 2212 and 2218.

Why this matters: Council members and public commenters said low turnout and meeting times can limit who is able to serve, and some applicants list incorrect districts on applications, creating verification work for staff before appointments.

Key details and next steps

- Application complexity and simplification: City Clerk (speaker S1) and staff urged simplifying application forms. Staff noted applicants may be asked to check many items and that reducing complexity could make council decisions easier. "Once we change those applications, I think it'll make it a lot easier for you all to make decisions," S1 said.

- Interview process: Staff (S4) described a standard approach: the legal department works with the city clerk to draft interview questions, the questions are provided to council in advance, and required interviews are conducted in open session. "Those are presented to the council in advance to ensure that they meet the legislative body's qualifications," the staff presenter said.

- Meeting times and outreach: Council members and speakers urged reassessing meeting schedules to broaden applicant pools. The Parks and Recreation Commission currently meets midmorning, which council members said can exclude working residents; staff agreed to survey current commissioners and applicants about preferred times and, if necessary, bring an ordinance to change meeting times.

- Residency and district verification: Council members flagged applications that list incorrect districts. Staff committed to verifying applicants’ stated districts and residency as part of intake. "We will continue to make that part of our verification process," the staff presenter said.

- Training, handbook and term limits: Public commenters asked for a commissioner handbook and more training. City Clerk (S1) said no commissioner handbook currently exists but that she and the assistant city manager have discussed developing one. On term limits, staff said ordinances include term provisions but staff will return with clarification on how terms and carryover are applied.

- Youth commission and charter review: Councilwoman Darden (S8) urged reestablishing a youth commission; staff said it has not been disbanded and staff will check ordinances and, if needed, prepare steps to reestablish and solicit student applicants. Staff also confirmed a charter review committee will be convened ahead of the next election cycle.

Staff concluded by saying it had "taken copious notes" on requests and will return with updated vacancy postings and proposed ordinance changes or timing adjustments. The workshop ended with staff saying they will publish vacancy notices via the city clerk’s office and follow up on the recruitment and verification work.

The council did not take formal votes during the workshop; staff will bring back recommended ordinance language, proposed meeting-time changes and candidate interview materials for future council action.