Mayor asks senior commission for input as borough redraws commission roles

Mayor Grier Hopkins told the Senior Citizens Advisory Commission on April 9 that he is surveying all borough commissions to gather ideas for changing meeting frequency, clarifying authority and improving impact. Hopkins asked members to complete an online survey and to add open-ended suggestions for code changes, noting the borough will compile input and come back with proposed amendments to the assembly.

"What I'm hoping to do with this is figure out how to sort of repurpose and revitalize all of our different commissions," Hopkins said. He asked commissioners to identify how they want to operate, what they struggle with, and whether they want more presentations, gatherings or a different meeting format. Hopkins described options such as restoring monthly meetings, adjusting borough code to give commissions clearer authority on topics like parks, transportation and housing, and exploring a multi-year senior planning effort he called a possible "silver wave plan."

Commissioners asked the mayor to share draft results before they go to the assembly so the commission can validate the interpretation and ensure feasibility. Hopkins agreed to collect responses and return with proposed code changes in the summer. He also offered personal contact routes and staff support for follow-up.

The commission did not take a formal vote on code changes; the mayor’s visit was an information and input-gathering session.