Agenda Item C.6
DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEM
Meeting Date: August 15, 2023
TO: Mayor and Councilmembers
FROM: Robert Nisbet, City Manager
CONTACT: Kristy Schmidt, Assistant City Manager
SUBJECT: New Council Subcommittee
RECOMMENDATION:
Consider a request from Councilmember Kasdin, seconded by Councilmember Richards, to discuss the creation of a new standing subcommittee of the City Council to address community welfare issues.
BACKGROUND:
Request to Place Item on Agenda
Pursuant to Council’s Rules of Decorum (Resolution No.18-47), Council has established a Procedure for a Councilmember to Place an Item on the Agenda1.
During Council comments and the February 21, 2021 , City Council meeting, Councilmember Kasdin asked that staff investigate forming a community welfare issues committee to address issues not currently assigned to a committee regarding families, youth, seniors, and the disadvantaged including childcare, internet access, library access, and senior support. Mayor Pro Tempore Richards concurred with this recommendation. 1 The following information is being added to agenda items added by Councilmembers for background purposes. There are two methods by which a Councilmember can request that an item be placed on a Council agenda: (1) At the end of a council meeting during Council Comments, a Councilmember can raise a topic and ask for another Councilmember to support it being on the agenda; if he or she gets the second vote, then the topic is placed on a future agenda for discussion; (2) Two Councilmembers can advise the City Manager that they are both interested in a topic being placed on the agenda.
Councilmembers wishing to pl ace an item on the agenda provide information about the topic to the City Manager and then staff provide information to the full Council about the topic and advise on the amount of work that would be involved in researching the item. “It will not be a full staff report at this time but rather will be minimal information for the purpose of providing pertinent information that will assist the Council in determining whether to direct additional work to be done.” If the Council decides to move forward, then the appropriate level of staff research will be done to bring it back to the Council for full discussion. 1 Meeting Date: August 15, 2023
Council Subcommittees
In general, the City Council acts as a whole, with all members participating equally in the consideration and delibera tion of issues, and in providing direction to staff. Full Council consideration of issues also ensures maximum transparency and public participation in the deliberative process. However, there may be occasions where a complicated and/or time-consuming issu e or area of focus makes it desirable for Council to form a subcommittee to consider the issue separately and develop recommendations outside of a regular Council meeting.
There are two types of advisory subcommittees which Council can establish. Standin g committees are policy subcommittees that consist solely of less than a quorum of the Council (i.e., two members) and that either have some “continuing subject matter jurisdiction” or have a meeting schedule formally adopted by the Council. Standing committees exist to make routine and regular recommendations in an area of policy, they continue to exist as specific issues and matters are resolved, and they are part of the regular governing structure. Common examples are the Finance and Audit Committee and the Ordinance Committee. These committees are subject to the provisions of the Brown Act (e.g., noticed agendas, public attendance, and comment).
Currently, Council has the following standing subcommittees. Economic Development and Revitalization Standing Committee Energy/Green Issues Standing Committee
Finance and Audit Standing Committee
Goleta Beach Park Standing Committee
Grant Funding Review Standing Committee
Homelessness Issues Standing Committee
Naming Standing Committee
Ordinance Review Standing Committee
Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness Standing Committee Town and Gown Standing Committee
Solid Waste Issues Standing Committee
Ad Hoc Committees are also policy subcommittees that consist solely of less than a quorum of Council and make recommendations to the full Council; however, they are not intended to have continuing subject matter jurisdiction and do not have a meeting schedule formally set by the Council. Rather, these committees are created to serve a limited or single purpose and are not perpetual; they are meant to be dissolved once that limited or single purpose has concluded. Ad hoc committees are exempt from the Brown Act’s requirements.
Currently, Council has the following Ad Hoc Subcommittees County Housing Element (6th Cycle) Ad Hoc Committee
Fire Station Development Ad Hoc Committee
Ad Hoc Revenue Neutrality Agreement Committee
2 Meeting Date: August 15, 2023
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan Committee
DISCUSSION:
A discussion of Councilmember Kasdin’s request, which includes three options: 1) deciding how to best facilitate the Council-directed initiative on youth and childcare; 2) creating a Human Services Committee focusing on a broader array of identified groups; 3) relying on existing committees to perform identified advisory duties, is below:
1. CHILDCARE AND YOUTH SERVICES. Should the strategic planning and proposed spending be handled by a new committee, existing committee, or just sending it straight to council without a committee review?
Pros and Cons:
With a new committee, there is the opportunity for a sustained and thoughtful review of the strategic planning and other issues and new spending. Is there enough workload to justify a new committee for this narrow range of responsibilities?
Takes some of the responsibilities from the grant committee. However, grant committee turns over 3 out of 4 members every year making consistency difficult.
Creating a new committee requires additional staff resources. One alternative is to rely on existing committees to staff this workload. Childcare might go to economic development, for example.
2. HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE. In the broadest sense, the committee could focus itself on those programs, services and activities that care for vulnerable populations in Goleta. This would include services for children, youth, seniors, people who are economically disadvantaged, non-English speakers, recent immigrants (including those without documentation), and people with disabilities.
Pros and Cons
Reflects a coherent set of linked activities. Also, all activities fall within Neighborhood Services’ jurisdiction.
There is no present committee that provides year-long, consistent direction and guidance for these activities.
Reduces the grant committee’s responsibilities. Remaining for the grants committee would be primarily the CDBG spending, plus grants for Educational Programs, Community Engagement, and the Arts, and Miscellaneous Adding a new committee would require additional staff work, although if the staff reports and other work was still being prepared and just going to an existing committee, the new work would be less.
3 Meeting Date: August 15, 2023
3. NO NEW COMMITTEE CREATED. These activities would either be routed through existing committees or go straight to council without a committee’s review.
Pros and Cons
Simple. No added workload. There are already many standing and ad hoc committees.
Does not offer an opportunity at a committee level for focused analysis of a set of issues so as to achieve an identified set of goals.
Potentially reduces the focus of existing committees with significant new issues unrelated to their purpose.
The grants committee’s responsibility would be primarily the CDBG spending, plus grants for Educational Programs, Community Engagement, the Arts, and Miscellaneous.
FISCAL IMPACTS:
Committees, whether they are standing or ad hoc, require staff time and City resources to coordinate and support. Standing committees are a bit more labor intensive in that they trigger Brown Act compliance (i.e., agendas must be posted). The t otal impact of the creation of this committee , or addition of agenda topics to the responsibilities of existing committees, is unknown at this time.
ALTERNATIVES:
Council could decline to create a new subcommittee, table the discussion for a future time, or provide other direction to staff.
Reviewed By: Legal Review By: Approved By:
___________________ ___________________ _________________ Kristine Schmidt Megan Garibaldi Robert Nisbet
Assistant City Manager City Attorney City Manager
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