CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
DATE: April 22, 2026 CONSENT CALENDAR
SUBJECT: ADOPT A POLICY TO MEMORIALIZE COUNCIL’S PAST PRACTICE AND
ESTABLISH REQUISITES FOR CONSIDERATION OF APPOINTMENTS
TO CITY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, AND PROCEDURES FOR
MAKING APPOINTMENTS
FROM: Scott C. Stiles, City Manager
BY: Brenda Pree, City Clerk
SUMMARY:
In 1996, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 18804, which established the procedures for considering appointments to City Boards and Commissions. The City Council has used an alternate method to enhance and streamline this process; however, the City Council has not formally considered the adoption of a policy that is reflective of the City Council’s past practice and preference. The proposed resolution (Attachment A) seeks to formalize these procedures in line with past practices. The proposed resolution would supersede Resolution No. 18804.
RECOMMENDATION:
Adopt a Resolution entitled, “A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA, ESTABLISHING PROCEDURES FOR
CONSIDERATION OF APPOINTMENTS TO CITY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, AND
PROCEDURES FOR MAKING APPOINTMENTS THERETO, AND RESCINDING RESOLUTION NO. 18804.”
BACKGROUND:
Government Code Section 54952 (b) defines a legislative body as “A commission, committee, board, or other body of a local agency, whether permanent or temporary, decision-making or advisory, created by charter, ordinance, resolution, or formal action of a legislative body.” The current resolution ( Resolution No. 18804) provides that the policy governing boards and commissions is applicable to all boards, commissions, and committees established through ordinance, resolution, or any official action taken by the City Council.
City Council Staff Report
April 22, 2026 -- Page 2
Consideration of Appointments to City Boards and Commissions Resolution No. 18804, adopted prior to the Charter Amendment, delineates the requisites for consideration of appointments to City Boards and Commissions. That process is listed below:
1. The Mayor shall appoint Council subcommittees, each consisting of the Mayor and one alternative Councilmember, to screen applications for all boards, commissions, and committees.
2. The City Clerk shall compile and distribute to the City Council a list of all qualified applicants as determined by the subcommittees.
3. Any Councilmember may add the name of one other person filing an application to the list by informing the City Clerk.
4. The City Clerk shall schedule interviews with the full City Council of all finalists for each City board and commission. The Chair of each commission shall be invited to the interviews.
The alternate method, as outlined in the new policy (Attachment A), the City Council’s past practice and preference, employed to enhance the efficiency of the appointment process, is outlined below:
1. At an open and public meeting, the City Council, as a whole, conducts interviews and appoints applicants who applied to serve on the Historic Site Preservation Board, Measure “J” Oversight Commission, and the Planning Commission. a. In 2025, the City Council opted to require full City Council interviews for applicants who applied to serve on the Human Rights Commission. (The new policy requires full council interviews for Human Rights Commission applicants.)
2. The City Council appoints a two-member Boards and Commissions Ad Hoc Subcommittee, comprised of the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem, to screen applications and interview applicants who applied to serve on boards and commissions not requiring full Council interviews, to determine qualified applicants.
3. After reaching consensus, the subcommittee submits to the City Clerk a list of recommended qualified applicants for full City Council consideration and appointment.
The Office of the City Clerk drafts a City Council staff report to facilitate the appointment of applicants recommended by the subcommittee.
The policy (Attachment A) also covers other matters, such as the criteria for selection, schedule, notice of availability, basic procedures for making appointments, application requirements, conflicts, schedule, and alternate language, some of which have since been chaptered and codified in the city’s municipal code of ordinances:
Article VI: Appointive Boards and Commissions
Chapter 2.06: Boards and Commissions—General Provisions City Council Staff Report
April 22, 2026 -- Page 3
Consideration of Appointments to City Boards and Commissions The policy applies to all boards, commissions, and committees established through ordinance, resolution, or any official action taken by the City Council. Consequently, for purposes of the Brown Act, the Architectural Review Committee (“ARC”) is a legislative body. Additionally, staff intends to clarify that the ARC, whose members are appointed by the Planning Commission rather than the City Council, shall be subject to the policy that outlines requisites for consideration of appointments to City boards and commissions, and procedures for making appointments.
This clarification and the updated policy aim to enhance understanding and ensure adherence to the necessary guidelines, in addition to memorializing the City Council’s past practice and preference, formally updating the process, and rescinding Resolution No. 18804.
Alternate Members:
For reference, the City Council has previously established two categories of members for the City’s boards and commissions: “alternate” members and “non-voting” members.
Alternate members possess the ability to vote on matters when regular members are unavailable, whereas non-voting members may participate in commission meetings without voting privileges.
When voting member vacancies arise, alternate members oftentimes express interest in being promoted to voting members. To facilitate this potential transition, staff has developed and clarified the procedure by which the City Council may consider promoting alternate members to voting members when vacancies among voting members arise.
In the event of a voting member’s vacancy, an alternate member who wishes to become a voting member may request to advance into the vacant voting member’s position by filing a new commission application, following the publication of a notice of recruitment for the vacant voting member’s position.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None.
REVIEWED BY:
Department Director: Brenda Pree
City Manager: Scott Stiles
ATTACHMENTS:
A. Proposed Resolution
B. Resolution No. 18804