HomeMy WebLinkAbout- - Council Policy-0002 Attachment 3 - 10/5/2010CITY OF COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA
COUNCIL POLICY
SUBJECT
POLICY
EFFECTIVE
PAGE
NUMBER
DATE
000-2
2/1/99
COMMITTEES AND BOARDS
1 of 3
REV: 3/3/03
BACKGROUND
The last revision to this Policy occurred in December, 2002. Since that time, City Council opted to
modify the recruitment and selection of Planning and Parks & Recreation Commissioners. Council Policy
000-2.5 was subsequently established to provide the specific procedures for recruitment and selection
process for both Commissions. Council Policy 000-2 has been changed to cover only the City's
appointed committees and boards.
PURPOSE
To provide clear and cohesive policies which assist appointed committee and board members in
performing their duties, and procedures for new committee and board formation.
POLICY
1. Bring community attitudes and needs into focus by providing valuable communication links between
the community and the government of the City.
2. Facilitate recommendations from the community, which aid City Council in making sound decisions
concerning policy formulation and resource allocation.
3. Establish and maintain a streamlined mechanism to facilitate committee and board formation;
membership, interaction, work programs, and evaluations.
PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES
Formation and Membership
a. Based upon the need for citizen input on matters of importance to the community, requests to
form a committee or board may be made by individual Council Members, local organizations,
or residents. "Committee Formation Application Forms" and "Committee Interest Forms" shall
be made available to all interested parties.
b. Upon review of the Formation Request Form, City Council may constitute a new committee or
board by formal action. Such action will establish the purpose of the committee or board and
the number of members.
c. Individuals may apply to serve concurrently on more than one committee or board assuming
there is no conflict in regular meeting schedules.
d. The City Council will appoint members to various committees and boards with staggered
terms.
CITY OF COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA
COUNCIL POLICY
SUBJECT
POLICY
EFFECTIVE
PAGE
NUMBER
DATE
000-2
2/1/99
COMMITTEES AND BOARDS
2 of 3
REV: 3/3/03
e. The Mayor shall designate at least one member of City Council to serve as a non-voting
liaison to each committee or board. The primary focus of this liaison relationship will be with
the committee chairperson.
2. Membership Terms
a. Committee and board members shall be appointed or reappointed for a term of two (2) years
(staggered) unless otherwise specified by City Council.
b. Upon the formation of new committees and boards, staggered two-year membership terms
shall be established by City Council. The expiration of all committee and board terms shall be
tied to one of two time periods:
1. April 2. October
c. To vacate a position on a committee or board, the person shall file a written resignation with
the City Clerk's Office. Vacancies may be filled immediately or held open until a regular
appointment time period occurs.
d. The City Council, at any time, may request the resignation of or terminate membership of any
committee or board member.
e. Alternates shall automatically fill vacancies left by the departure of full members. The staff
liaison shall ensure that alternate appointments to regular member status are made in a
timely manner, as described in the Commissions/Committees/Boards Handbook.
3. Work Proaram/Committee Review Process
a. Each February, all committees and boards shall prepare and submit a Work Program for City
Council review. The Work Program shall include:
• Evaluation of the previous years' progress;
• Delineation of the upcoming year's program, goals and objectives; and
• Proposed budget requests.
b. The City Council shall conduct a Committee Review Process once a year in February to
review the role and progress of committees and boards to determine their effectiveness. In
doing so, City Council reserves the right to revise the status of various committees and
boards based upon their need and benefit to the community.
4. General Information and Procedures
CITY OF COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA
COUNCIL POLICY
SUBJECT
POLICY
EFFECTIVE
PAGE
NUMBER
DATE
000-2
2/1/99
COMMITTEES AND BOARDS
3 of 3
REV: 3/3/03
Except as provided in this policy all committees and boards shall be guided by the policies set
forth in the Commissions/Committees/Boards Handbook. In case of any inconsistencies between
this policy and the Handbook, the provisions in this policy shall govern these committees and
boards. The Handbook includes material on such items as:
■ Agenda/Minutes
■ Attendance Requirements
■ Brown Act Requirements
■ Compensation
■ Conflict of Interest
■ Formal Communication with City Council
■ Legislative Activity
■ Oath of Allegiance
■ Staff Liaison Roles
■ Travel and Expense Policy
5. Quorum Due to Vacancies
a. Where there are no vacancies by resignation of members, the quorum for a committee or
board formed by City Council shall be a majority of the members of such body.
Where the membership on a committee or board is reduced to less than a majority of the
members of such a body due to vacancies by resignation of its members, the quorum
shall be a majority of the remaining members of such body until the vacancies are filled by
City Council; provided, however, that under no circumstances would the quorum be
lowered to less than three (3) committee or board members. (For example, a committee
formed by City Council, which has seven members, would need four members to be
present for the committee to take formal action on a matter on the agenda for the meeting.
If vacancies occur due to resignations of the members, the quorum would be adjusted to
require a minimum of three members to be present for the committee to take formal action
on a matter on the agenda while the vacancies have not been filled by City Council. Once
the vacancies are filled, the quorum would return to the requirement of four members.)