Advisory board requests workshop to clarify and possibly expand its role

The Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board voted May 4 to ask staff to schedule a workshop to explore whether the advisory board's authority should be expanded beyond its current advisory role.

Board members said the group contains technical expertise that is not always reflected in subsequent RDA board decisions. "I think that you have an advisory board that's full of experts in that development world," said Mike Van Halen, who urged consideration of a separate governance structure for faster, less politicized decisions. Colin Robertson said he favored a focused workshop to draft policy recommendations the RDA could consider.

Staff member Ashley, who read the item and summarized the research, told the board the city's participation program and state law shape what a redevelopment agency can do, and that staff had identified a range of governance models used elsewhere. Several members emphasized the need for legal research about how much authority a nonelected advisory board could hold over public funds.

The motion to ask staff to find a date for a dedicated workshop passed after an amendment that staff include legal parameters. The board directed staff to take public comment at that workshop and to return with recommendations for any policy changes.

Why it matters: board members said clarifying the board's role could reduce inefficiencies that arise when recommendations go from the advisory board to the agency board and then back again. The workshop will be used to produce a recommendation for the RDA board about potential policy changes and practical governance options.

The board moved on to other agenda items; staff said it would place a special meeting/workshop on members' calendars once schedule slots were identified.