Agenda Item #13.11
For Council Meeting of: May 13, 2025
CITY OF SANTA ROSA
CITY COUNCIL
TO: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: DONTÉ WATSON, DIRECTOR
RECREATION AND PARKS DEPARTMENT
SUBJECT: AMENDING COUNCIL POLICY 000-06 - APPOINTMENTS TO BOARDS/COMMISSIONS/COMMITTEES AGENDA ACTION: RESOLUTION
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended by the Recreation and Parks Department that the Council, by resolution, amend Council Policy 000-06 - Appointments to Boards/Commissions/Committees to replace occurrences of Recreation and Parks Board with Board of Parks and Recreation to bring the name of the advisory body into alignment with Ordinance No. ORD-2025-008.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Council changed the name of the Board of Community Services to the Board of Parks and Recreation upon adoption of Ordinance No. ORD-2025-008 which retitled and amended City Code Chapter 2-04, Board of Community Services. Council previously adopted the name Recreation and Parks Board in Resolution No. RES-2025-051. A new resolution must be adopted to align the name of the advisory body in Council Policy 000-06 - Appointments to Boards/Commissions/Committees with City Code Chapter 2-04, Board of Community Services.
BACKGROUND
On April 1, 2025, the Recreation and Parks Department and the Board of Community Services brought forward an ordinance to retitle and amend City Code Chapter 2-04 and a resolution to update Council Policy 000-06 with a new name for the advisory body. Council introduced the ordinance and adopted the resolution with Recreation and Parks Board as the new name of the advisory body per the recommendation.
On April 15, 2025, City Council adopted Ordinance No. ORD-2025-008, which becomes effective on May 16, 2025, retitling and amending City Code Chapter 2-04, Board of Community Services to Board of Parks and Recreation. This action created an inconsistency in the name of the Board between the City Code and Council Policy 000-06. To bring the documents into alignment a new resolution must be adopted replacing Recreation and Parks Board with Board of Parks and Recreation throughout Council Policy 000-06.
PRIOR CITY COUNCIL REVIEW
On April 1, 2025, the City Council introduced an ordinance retitling and amending Municipal Code Chapter 2-04, Board of Community Services to change the name of the advisory body from the Board of Community Services to the Recreation and Parks Board, update the Board’s statement of purpose, update the Board’s powers and duties to reflect their current role, align the number of members with the number of City Council members, reduce the number of members needed to achieve quorum, align members’ terms to coincide with the term of their appointing Council member, and update the process for member appointment to and member removal from the Board to accurately reflect City Charter Section 11, Participation & Diversity in Boards and Commissions.
City Council also adopted a resolution removing the name Board of Community Services from Council Policy 000-06 - Appointments to Board/Commissions/ Committees and replacing it with Recreation and Parks Board.
On April 15, 2025, City Council held a second reading to adopt the ordinance retitling and amending Municipal Code Chapter 2-04, Board of Community Services. Council amended the recommendation and changed the name of the advisory body to the Board of Parks and Recreation rather than the Recreation and Parks Board. All other amendments to City Code Ch. 2-04 were adopted as recommended.
ANALYSIS
Prior ordinance history related to Municipal Code Chapter 2-04, Board of Community Services (BOCS) includes ordinances 1832, 2735, 3104, 3114, 3579, and ORD-2025-008.
Ordinance No. 1832 (1976) – Abolished the Recreation and Parks Commission and the Community Relations Commission, combined the mission, powers, and duties of both Commissions, and established the Board of Community Services.
Ordinance No. 2735 (1988) – Amended the Board’s powers and duties to focus on parks, recreation, culture, and beautification matters reducing the number of powers and duties from ten to five.
Ordinance No. 3104 (1994) – Established uniform four-year terms for board members.
Ordinance No. 3114 (1994) – Established a uniform procedure for removing board members.
Ordinance No. 3579 (2002) – Increased board membership from seven to eight members and increased the number of members needed to achieve quorum from four to five.
Ordinance No. ORD-2025-008 (2025) – Changed the name of the advisory body to Board of Parks and Recreation, updated the Board’s statement of purpose, updated the Board’s powers and duties to reflect their current role, aligned the number of members with the number of City Council members reducing the number of members to seven, reduced the number of members needed to achieve a quorum from five to four, aligned members’ terms to coincide with the term of their appointing Council member, and updated the process for member appointment to and removal from the Board to accurately reflect the City Charter and Council Policy 000-06.
To align with Ordinance No. ORD-2025-008, which goes into effect on May 16, 2025, Council must adopt a resolution amending Council Policy 000-06 to replace the occurrence of Recreation and Parks Board with the Board’s new name, Board of Parks and Recreation. A redline of the proposed modifications to Council Policy 000-06 is attached as Attachment 1.
FISCAL IMPACT
Amending and adopting this resolution will not have a fiscal impact on the General Fund.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15378, the proposed action is not a “project” subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it does not have a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. In the alternative, the proposed action is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the project may have a significant effect on the environment.
BOARD/COMMISSION/COMMITTEE REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS
On October 26, 2022, staff introduced the documents governing the BOCS and discussed the need to update the BOCS ordinance. The Board formed a three-member Board Ordinance Subcommittee to review and update the ordinance as well as the Board’s bylaws.
On January 25, 2023, staff assisted the BOCS Ordinance Subcommittee with a presentation to the full Board of key discussion topics regarding the Subcommittee’s progress. The Board provided feedback on the name of the Board, meeting start time, youth membership, and the purpose of the Board.
On February 22, 2023, staff presented the BOCS Ordinance Subcommittee’s recommended updates to the Board’s ordinance and bylaws. The Board of Community Services recommended that Council review the Board’s bylaws and, by resolution, adopt a City Council ordinance to change the name of the Board to the Parks and Recreation Board, update the Board’s purpose, align the number of members with the number of Council members, reduce the number of members needed to achieve quorum, update the Board’s powers and duties, and update the process for member appointment to and member removal from the Board.
On May 24, 2023, staff presented recommended updates to the Board’s ordinance and bylaws including meeting start time, youth membership, and type of advisory body. The Board held four votes and voted to change the meeting start time from 4:00pm to 5:00pm, to add a youth member to the Board, and to retain Board instead of Commission as the type of advisory body.
On June 28, 2023, staff discussed the reinstatement of the BOCS Ordinance Subcommittee and addressed the name of the Board. The recommendation to change the name of the Board to the Parks and Recreation Board was rescinded with the City’s decision to keep the Department’s name as, Recreation and Parks Department. It was recommended that the name of the Board align with the name of the department it advises, Recreation and Parks.
On December 11, 2024, staff presented proposed updates to the Board of Community Services’ governing ordinance and bylaws. At the conclusion of the presentation, public comment, and discussion, the Board recommended that Council introduce an ordinance to retitle and amend City Code Chapter 2-04 to change the name of the advisory body from the Board of Community Services to the Recreation and Parks Board, update the Board’s statement of purpose, update the Board’s powers and duties to reflect their current role, align the number of members with the number of City Council members, reduce the number of members needed to achieve a quorum, align member’s terms to coincide with the term of their appointing Council member, and update the process for member appointment to and member removal from the Board to accurately reflect City Charter Section 11, Participation & Diversity in Boards and Commissions and City Council Policy 000-06 - Appointments to Boards/Commissions/Committees.
NOTIFICATION
Not applicable.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 – Redline Changes to Council Policy 000-06 Resolution
Exhibit A – City Council Policy 000-06
PRESENTER
Emily Ander, Assistant Parks Planner, Recreation and Parks Department AMENDING COUNCIL POLICY 000-06 - APPOINTMENTS TO BOARDS/ COMMISSIONS/COMMITTEES – (CEQA EXEMPT)
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