CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
July 16, 2024 {{section.number}}e
BOARD, COMMISSION, AND COMMITTEE ADMINISTRATION REVIEW
RECOMMENDATION:
Receive the report and provide direction as appropriate on areas for further enhancement and efficiencies for the administration of City boards, commissions, and committees.
BACKGROUND:
The City of Coronado has a diverse array of twelve volunteer boards, commissions, and committees (“boards”) to engage residents in local governance and decision-making processes.
These bodies serve various purposes and can be categorized by function as quasi-judicial, advisory, or for specific issue input.
Quasi-judicial boards, which include the Civil Service Commission, Design Review Commission, Historic Review Commission, Library Board of Trustees, and the Planning Commission, are responsible for implementing or applying general rules or policies. These boards make decisions that directly affect individuals and/or properties within the City.
Advisory boards, such as the Cultural Arts Commission, Mobility Commission, Parks and Recreation Commission, and Street Tree Committee, were created to provide specialized expertise and diverse community perspectives. These boards support informed decision-making by offering recommendations to the City Council on various matters within their respective domains.
The City also maintains three boards focused on specific facilities or issues: Discover Coronado/CTID, the Golf Course Advisory Committee, and the Spreckels Center Advisory Committee. These boards are unique in that they are predominantly composed of representatives from outside organizations and businesses, with a minority of City appointments. The City Council appoints two members to Discover Coronado/CTID, while the City Manager appoints two members each to the Golf Course Advisory Committee and the Spreckels Center Advisory Committee.
The historic development of these boards has resulted in significant variations in their scope of duties, size, and staff support. These boards also have varying term dates throughout the year, infusing complexity into board administration.
While departments provide direct staffing to their assigned boards, the City Clerk’s Office maintains overarching management responsibilities of board recruitment, appointment, compliance and support.
ANALYSIS:
Principles of good governance dictate a review of processes and practices from time to time.
Review of the City’s board administration is timely as numerous inconsistencies and challenges have been reported along with suggestions for improvements for greater clarity and efficiency.
Some challenges or inconsistencies identified with the City’s boards include:
• Ambiguity of mission, purpose and authority. Many of the City’s boards lack a defined mission or annual goals, leading to ambiguity of purpose or potential misalignment with the City Council’s interests.
• Lack of consistent bylaws/governing documents. Some boards have bylaws, while many operate without a guiding document. A lack of foundational bylaws can lead to confusion and inconsistency of actions.
• Varying board size. Most boards have five members, aligned with the number of City Council seats but two boards have seven members. Boards with a greater number of seats may suggest a higher priority and require additional staff support. • Inconsistent board term dates. The boards have varying term dates, scattered across the year. This creates ongoing repetitive administration duties by the department staff and City Clerk and dilutes recruiting efforts. It also requires a year-round compliance workload to collect and confirm requisite Form 700s and ethics training.
• Uneven distribution of responsibilities and resources. Some boards receive dedicated staff resources, and some have staff from multiple departments regularly attending meetings, while others operate with minimal support. One board has a dedicated budget and spending authority.
• Inconsistency with agenda setting and agenda item selection. Agenda formats and content differ significantly between boards. Some boards have staff-developed agendas while others have the chair selecting items and conducting pre-meetings with staff. • Compliance with State mandated training and filings. While most Commissioners complete these requirements in a timely manner, there were late filers and some Commissioners are still delinquent with their Form 700 filing and bi-annual ethics training. • Ambiguity with roles of board members, the chair and staff. Role clarification is essential to define expectations for board member activities, both in and outside of meetings, and development of comprehensive guidelines for staff support. • Confusion about how to communicate with the City Council on regular and emergent issues.
Two boards have regularly supplied an annual report to the City Council, but the others do not have consistent engagement with the City Council.
These factors can impair the effective functioning of our advisory body system and frustrate the individual contributions of our residents serving on boards. These volunteers generously give their time for the betterment of Coronado, and it behooves the City to honor this commitment with the most productive use of their time and skills. By addressing these issues, the City of Coronado can enhance civic engagement, improve governance efficiency, and ensure that its volunteer boards continue to serve the community effectively in line with current City priorities and best practices in local government administration.
Next Steps
The City Manager and City Clerk propose to explore these issues and develop recommendations that will be shared with City Council for consideration at a future meeting. Early ideas for enhancements include standardizing procedures, clarifying roles, improving communication, and optimizing the overall board administration structure.
As a next step, the City Clerk's Office will send a survey to all board members in August 2024 to solicit feedback on their experience on a City commission, committee or board and identify further opportunities for improvement. This will notify Commissioners of this improvement effort and invite their perspectives on how the City can provide a more productive environment.
Staff seeks City Council input, questions and ideas for exploration to strengthen our advisory body system. In addition, if desired, staff could review the City Council’s own various boards, committees, and other assignments. This appointment list has evolved organically over time.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact.
ALTERNATIVE:
The City Council may direct staff to explore additional questions or issues.
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT:
Not Applicable.
PUBLIC NOTICE:
No notice required.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Current Board Structure and Membership Details
Submitted By: City Manager’s Office & City Clerk's Office / Tina Friend & Kelsea Holian