Calistoga council approves revised advisory‑committee bylaws; vote 4–1 on meeting‑location flexibility

The Calistoga City Council on June 3 approved revisions to the city’s advisory‑committee bylaws that clarify the role of council liaisons, specify communication pathways for committee matters, and remove the community center as a required default meeting location.

Staff said the edits were intended to promote consistency and transparency and to give committees flexibility to select locations that fit expected attendance—an example cited was the Fairgrounds Committee occasionally needing larger space than the community center. Miss Pelleo, who introduced the item, said the changes are mainly to streamline the document and to allow either the staff liaison or the council liaison to communicate committee matters to council.

Public commenter Cindy Yount urged caution and asked that the bylaws explicitly say council liaisons should not advocate for or direct committees: she cited earlier confusion after prior rescinded resolutions and asked for a short, clear statement limiting liaison roles. Council members debated retaining a default community‑center location to preserve public access and continuity versus allowing committees flexibility to meet at other venues when appropriate.

The council approved the proposed revisions on a roll call vote, 4–1, with Vice Mayor Giff voting no. Staff said the plan is to share the revisions with individual advisory committees after council approval to ensure consistent practice.

Next steps: Staff will circulate the adopted bylaws to advisory committees and update meeting notices procedures to maintain public access and clarity on locations.