Agenda Item #3.1
For Council Meeting of: July 12, 2022
CITY OF SANTA ROSA
CITY COUNCIL
TO: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: STEPHANIE WILLIAMS, CITY CLERK
SUBJECT: APPOINTMENTS TO THE SONOMA COUNTY LIBRARY COMMISSION AGENDA ACTION: MOTION
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the Council, by motion, make appointments for one City representative and one joint City/County representative to the Sonoma County Library Commission each to serve a four-year term to expire August 1, 2026.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Santa Rosa as well as all cities in Sonoma County are members of the Joint Powers Agreement with the County of Sonoma for County-wide library services. Each member appoints a representative to the Library Commission. The City of Santa Rosa and the County of Sonoma selects an additional jointly appointed representative to the Commission.
BACKGROUND
The Sonoma County Library was established in 1975 with a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) between the County of Sonoma and the cities of Healdsburg, Petaluma, Sonoma, and Santa Rosa.
Under the 1975 JPA, the Sonoma County Library is governed by a seven-member Library Commission comprised of one member representing each of the five supervisorial districts, one member representing the City of Petaluma, and one member representing the City of Santa Rosa.
In 2012, the Board of Supervisors approached the Sonoma County Mayors and Council Members, who agreed to initiate a review of the JPA in light of challenges at the Library and changes in demographics, technology, and finances.
On April 29, 2014, the City Council approved a First Amended and Restated Joint Powers Agreement for the County-wide Provision of Library Services (Amended JPA) by the Sonoma County Library. Among other things, the Amended JPA expands the membership of the Library Commission to include all cities and the County, with each member having one vote on the new Library Commission and adds an additional seat to be shared and jointly appointed by the City of Santa Rosa and the County of Sonoma.
In October 2018, Council appointed David Cahill as the City’s representative and Karen Schneider as the City/County representative. The terms for Mr. Cahill and Ms. Schneider expire on August 1, 2022.
PRIOR CITY COUNCIL REVIEW
None.
ANALYSIS
For the joint City/County appointment, the Amended JPA states “The City and County will advertise the vacancy, accept applications, review the applications, and forward them to the Mayor of the City of Santa Rosa and the Chair of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors for consideration. Interviews may be conducted if deemed appropriate. The Mayor and Chair then jointly recommend one Commissioner candidate to the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors and the Santa Rosa City Council for approval, which shall not be unreasonably withheld. Should the selected candidate not be approved, the Mayor and Chair would jointly recommend subsequent candidate(s) until a candidate is approved by the City Council and Board of Supervisors.”
FISCAL IMPACT
None.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
This action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it is not a project which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, pursuant to CEQA Guideline section 15378.
BOARD/COMMISSION/COMMITTEE REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS
None.
NOTIFICATION
None.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 - Letter from Library Commission Chair Deborah Doyle Notice of Application Availability
CONTACT
Stephanie Williams, City Clerk, (707) 543-3015
APPOINTMENTS TO THE SONOMA COUNTY LIBRARY COMMISSION
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