City council voted to shrink Morro Bay Harbor Advisory Board from seven to five, staff says

Chief Dan McCraine told the Harbor Advisory Board that the City Council recently voted to reduce the Harbor Advisory Board from seven members to five and that the change will be phased in over two years as seats expire.

“Council did vote to reduce the number of members on the Harbor Advisory Board from seven down to five and it'll be a phased in approach over the next two years as seats expire,” Chief McCraine said, explaining the expected timetable: six members in 2025, removal of one at-large seat in 2026 and removal of the Los Osos representative seat beginning in 2027.

Staff gave the rationale as recruitment difficulties across advisory bodies and a desire to standardize the number of seats so council chambers and equipment can be planned consistently. Board members sought clarification about whether certain seats will remain designated for interest groups. Chief McCraine said the positions under the new configuration will include a commercial fisherman (and alternate), a marine-oriented business representative, one member-at-large and a waterfront leaseholder representative.

Board members raised concerns that removing seats will increase the workload for remaining members and noted the temporary even number of six during the transition could affect vote dynamics. A member said removing seats “increases the work for everybody else,” and asked whether at-large applicants could come from outside Morro Bay; staff said the member-at-large could be from Los Osos and that other seats will require affiliation (for example a waterfront leaseholder must be a leaseholder or subtenant).

No formal vote or ordinance amending the board’s bylaws was taken at the Harbor Advisory Board meeting; staff reported the council decision and answered members’ questions about implementation and eligibility for specific seats.