Environmental board chair urges Bel Air to tighten attendance rules for volunteer boards

Giles Dunn, chair of the Environmental Sustainability Board, opened the public comment period by telling the council his board has routinely met with only a quorum and that the city should consider changing ordinance language and board sizes to improve attendance and effectiveness. "Attendance and accountability matter," Dunn said, reporting that multiple board members had missed three or four meetings and that the ESB has not once had full attendance during the current cycle.

Dunn said he ran a binomial statistical analysis and concluded a nine‑member board that allows for several absences rarely has all members present; he suggested the council consider allowing smaller boards (five to seven members) or otherwise adjusting the ordinance and appointment process so that boards reflect realistic volunteer availability. He asked council to take the board's attendance record into account when interviewing and appointing new members and to consider ordinance language that would better match governance expectations with volunteer realities.

Councilmembers thanked Dunn for raising the issue and the city manager scheduled a boards-and-commissions workshop on June 8 to talk more broadly about appointments and recruitment. The council did not take immediate policy action at the meeting; staff and councilmembers indicated the issue will be discussed further during the workshop and FY27 appointment cycle.