Committee debates whether parks and public safety commissions should be required by charter

Members of the Charter Review Committee debated whether Recreation & Parks should remain enumerated in section 1,000 of the charter and whether a Public Safety Commission should be added. Commissioner Baker suggested removing parks and recreation from the charter. Commissioner Holbrook and others argued the parks and recreation commission is important for youth programming, land acquisition, and budgeting priorities and urged it be retained. "They shape public policy by assessing recreation needs, managing parks, and fund future priorities for budgeting," Commissioner Holbrook said, summarizing municipal code functions discussed in the chamber.

Commissioners also proposed adding a required Charter Committee to the charter (with suggestions for review cycles ranging from every four to every ten years) and questioned whether a staff liaison should be statutorily required and whether that liaison must be the director of public safety for a public safety commission. Assistant City Manager Tamara Benz clarified that commissions and boards are appointed by council and that staff liaisons (civil servants) are assigned by staff; she said the public safety director is the staff liaison to that commission but is not the chair (the chair is chosen by the commission membership).