Councilor proposes advisory committee to streamline boards and commissions appointments

Councilor Smyth told the workshop she will revise a draft resolution to remove the word “oversight,” saying that term had alarmed applicants who saw it as an added level of bureaucracy. Smyth said the intent is advisory: an ad hoc committee would help develop a clearer appointment process, onboarding materials and standard operating procedures to make the commissions more effective and to increase public participation. “Iam going to revise that resolution to take that word out of there, because I think that it's very confusing to people,” Smyth said.

Smyth cited concrete problems she said she and others had documented: about 50 people have applied and not received updates, some applicants waited “3 to 4 years” for appointments, some commissions held meetings below quorum, and some members served multiple long terms without rotation. She suggested the committee could create a handbook and recommended using volunteers where possible instead of hiring outside consultants (she referenced an $85,000 consultant line for community engagement). Opponents on the council pushed back that the council and staff already have responsibility for appointments and that adding another committee could slow processes. One long-tenured councilor said, “I would not support this,” arguing the issues should be addressed through existing council and staff channels rather than by creating a new board-level layer. The workshop ended with no motion or vote; councilors and commission members agreed to continue exploring clearer documents and training for commissioners.