City Council:
Sandra Lowe, Mayor
John Gurney, Vice Mayor
Jack Ding
Patricia Farrar-Rivas
Ron Wellander
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE SONOMA CITY COUNCIL
City Council Chambers, 177 First Street West
Wednesday, December 6, 2023
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81897802604
Please note this is a different link from the Regular Meeting at 6:00pm 5:00 p.m. Special Meeting
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AGENDA
Be Courteous - TURN OFF your cell phones and watches while the meeting is in session.
NOTICE: Mayor Sandra Lowe has called the City Council into a Special Meeting to discuss only the matters stated on the agenda listed below.
PUBLIC COMMENT AT SPECIAL MEETING: Members of the public shall have the opportunity to address the City Council concerning any item listed on the agenda during consideration of that item, when the Mayor opens public comment. No other items may be discussed at this special meeting.
Page
1. CALL TO ORDER
2. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION
2.1: Study Session - Review of the City Council Commission & Committee Appointment Process (Rebekah Barr, MMC, City Clerk)
RECOMMENDATION: City Council review the Commission & Committee appointment process and provide feedback and direction.
Agenda Report - Commission / Committee Appointment Process - Pdf Commission & Committee Presentation
3 - 36
3. ADJOURNMENT
I do hereby certify that a copy of the foregoing agenda was posted on the City Hall bulletin board as legally required.
Rebekah Barr, MMC, City Clerk
*********************************************************************************************************************************** • Copies of all staff reports and documents subject to disclosure that relate to any item of business referred to on the agenda are normally available for public inspection the Wednesday before each regularly scheduled meeting at City Hall, located at No. 1 The Plaza, Sonoma CA. Any documents subject to disclosure that are provided to all, or a majority of all, of the members of the City Council regarding any item on this agenda after the agenda has been distributed will be made available for inspection at the City Clerk’s office, No. 1 The Plaza, Sonoma CA during regular business hours.
• If you challenge the action of the City Council in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described on the agenda, or in written correspondence delivered to the City Clerk, at or prior to the public hearing. • Appointment to Commissions/Committees: The Council may establish and make appointments to a Council committee (made up of two Council Members) with respect to any item appearing on this agenda. • Motion for Reconsideration: A Council Member voting with the majority on any item appearing on this agenda may move for reconsideration of that vote provided the motion is in conformance with the rules adopted by the Council governing such motions. • In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the City Clerk (707) 933-2216. Notification 48-hours before the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting.
City of Sonoma
Agenda Item Summary
Meeting: City Council - 06 Dec 2023
Department
Administration
Staff Contact
Rebekah Barr, MMC, City Clerk
Agenda Item Title
Study Session - Review of the City Council Commission & Committee Appointment Process Summary
The Sonoma Municipal Code (SMC) provides for the establishment of advisory bodies including commissions and committees to advise the City Council and provide ongoing resident input into policies and issues affecting the Sonoma Community. SMC 2.40 - 2.60 and SMC 10.12.080 includes language regarding commission makeup, residency requirements, and attendance.
In 2017, the City Council adopted an appointment policy pertaining to the City’s Commissions and Committees, as well as other regional appointments and set forth a structure that encourages meaningful involvement by the community in decision-making. As with most policies, over time and with use, updates were identified, and the policy amended. This has taken place on five separate occasions since adoption, with the most recent in October 2022.
Currently, the City Council makes appointments to two types of commissions - Group A - Regional/Valley Committees and Commissions and Group B - City Commissions and Committees.
Group A are commissions and committees formed and governed by other governmental entities. Their jurisdiction extends beyond the City of Sonoma. Typically, with a few exceptions, the City Council makes one appointment to a Group A commission.
The Group A appointments are made utilizing the mayoral appointment process, in which the Mayor and one other Council Member conducts interviews, the Mayor nominates and individual at a public Council meeting in an agendized item, and the Council considers the nomination for ratification. Member terms are set by the governing agency.
Group A commissions/committees include:
1. Sonoma Valley Citizen’s Advisory Commission -
2. Oversight Board of the Successor Agency of the Former Redevelopment Agency of the City of Sonoma
3. Sonoma Community Housing Corporation Board
4. Sonoma County Library Commission
5. Marin/Sonoma Mosquito and Vector Control District Board
6. County-Wide Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission
7. Sonoma County Sustainable Groundwater Management Advisory Committee Group B Commissions and Committees are those bodies formed by the City Council, and their jurisdiction is limited to the City of Sonoma. These commission/committees are made up of a mix of directly appointed, at-large, non-voting youth, and alternate members. The member makeup is dependent on the commission.
Agenda Item #2.1:
Group B appointments are made as follows: five individual council member appointments, one council-majority appointed non-voting youth and alternate member. Two of the existing commissions also include two council-majority appointed at-large members. These appointments are made in a rotational order, the order of which per the policy shall be done by random draw, at a public council meeting. Directly appointed members serve a coterminous term as the Council Member who appointed them. If the Council Member is re-elected, they can choose to re-appoint the same member or choose someone else. There are no term limits, however terms begin on February 1st after the seating of a new council member.
The Group B commissions/committees include:
1. Planning Commission
2. Climate Action Commission
3. Cultural and Fine Arts Commission
4. Parks, Recreation, & Open Space Commission
5. Design Review and Historic Preservation Commission
6. Traffic Safety Committee
Except for non-voting youth members, the terms of office of persons appointed to serve on Group A or Group B Commissions through the mayoral process or by council-majority vote shall be two years, to coincide with city council elections, or as set by the commission/committee rules in the case of a Group A appointment.
The non-voting youth member is appointed to serve a term of one year, beginning August 1 through July 31.
Some positions on Group B may be filled by non-city residents, however, those individuals must reside in the Sonoma Valley which for these purposes has been identified as the area within the Sonoma Valley Unified School District.
The current process is very detailed and many of the amendments were made to address events that were happening at the time. For example, in 2021 the City had three council members resign mid-term. Two of these Council seats were filled by appointment and the third by special election. There was no direction as to what happened with those resigned council members' commission appointees. Language was added to address these two different situations. As these types of amendments were made over the years, the policy has become more involved and not easy to follow.
Using the policy for the past year, the City Council and staff have identified several areas that bear consideration to make the appointment process run more smoothly. This is not an exhaustive list, and the City Council may identify additional areas for review and modification.
Staff requests that the City Council review the policy and provide feedback and direction. It should be noted that changes to the pertinent Municipal Code sections may be required.
Based on feedback and direction, a transition plan will be created to implement any changes throughout the year with a full change-over by January 2025, coinciding with the City election.
Agenda Item #2.1:
IDENTIFIED AREAS FOR CONSIDERATION
Municipal Code
Sonoma Municipal Code 2.40.010 - Attendance - Per this code section, "If a member of any board or commission of the city fails to attend the regular or special meetings of such a board or commission for three consecutive meetings or one-third of any calendar year’s meetings, the office becomes vacant automatically, without any declaration to that effect, and shall thereafter be filled as any other vacancy. Upon request by a commissioner, the council may waive the attendance rules due to special circumstances".
Since the Council Members now make individual direct appointments who serve at the will of the individual Council Member, may be unnecessary for some commissioners. The expectation would be that if a commissioner was not attending meetings, then the appointing Council Member would address it. Staff recommends that the above language be modified to apply only to the At-large members who are appointed by Council-majority.
An attendance record for all commissions can be brought annually to the City Council for consideration and information.
Sonoma Municipal Code 2.44.010, 2.48.020, 2.50.020, 2.56.020, 2.60.020, and 10.12.080 - Composition - The composition of the commissions is not consistent. The Planning Commission and the Cultural and Fine Arts Commission have seven voting members, six of whom must be city residents, with the remaining one able to be a valley resident. The Climate Action Commission, Design Review & Historic Preservation Commission, Parks Recreation & Open Space Commission, and the Traffic Safety Committee have five voting members, four of whom must be city residents, with the remaining one able to be a valley resident.
Staff recommends that the City Council consider making the composition of all commissions consistent. This could be accomplished by making all commissions seven member bodies.
Each Council Member would appoint one resident to serve at their will and appoint two at-large members with at least one of them being a valley resident. The Council could also choose to make all of the commissions five-member bodies.
Policy
Definitions - Types of Commissions & Committees - Since this is a City policy, it would be more appropriate for those commissions/committees to be addressed first. Staff recommends a change to the lettering convention so that city commissions/committees are primary, and regional/valley commissions are secondary for administrative purposes.
Mayoral Appointment Process - Group A appointments are made through a mayoral appointment process - the Mayor, with one other Council Member conducts interviews, and after discussion the Mayor makes a nomination at a public Council Meeting, and then the City Council as a whole takes action to ratify the nomination. To simplify the appointment process, Staff recommends that the City Council consider appointing the regional/valley appointments in the same manner as the City's at-large and non-voting youth members. This is done by a Council-majority vote at a regular Council Meeting.
Individual Council Member Appointments - Per the current policy, Council Members make their appointments in January following an election for a February 1 start. These appointees serve at the pleasure of the Council Member who appointed them, so staff recommends amending this to allow Council Members to make these direct appointments at any time during the Agenda Item #2.1:
"Council Member Reports and Comments" section of the agenda. These appointments would not require separate agenda items or ratification by the Council as a whole. If a Council Member is reelected to another term, there would be no need for reappointment unless a change in desired.
Random Draw - The policy lays out the procedure for how the Council Members will make their appointments and how that order is determined. Currently, it states that the order will be determined by random draw. A separate draw is made for each commission and the same order is maintained, with new Council Members being put into their predecessor’s rotation order. The City Clerk maintains a record of the on-going rotation order. In recent years, there was some concern expressed, that though the order was random, some Council Members did not have the opportunity to make their choices early for any of the commissions. With the above recommendation on individual Council Member Appointments, Staff recommends that the City Council remove this section as it would no longer be necessary to define an order for appointments since a Council Member could appoint at any time. If necessary, the order assignment could be delegated to the Mayor.
Alternate Members - Alternate members are appointed to each of the Group B commissions.
Their role is to step in if a regular member is not in attendance or cannot participate due to conflict, etc. They are required to be fully prepared and comply with all laws applicable to the regular members including completing Statements of Economic Interests Form 700s. However, in most cases, the alternate does not participate and sits in the audience as a member of the public.
Staff has compared Sonoma's commission makeup to other cities, and it was noted that most other cities do not appoint an alternate to their commissions. It does not appear that the alternate member is required, and Staff would recommend removing alternate members from all commissions and committees. If quorum issues arise, attendance records will be reviewed to determine if replacements might be needed.
Non-Voting Youth Member Terms - Currently, non-voting youth members are appointed for one-year terms beginning in August. Due to most students being on summer vacation, many traveling with their families, it has been later in September/October before these seats are typically filled. To align more accurately to the school year, Staff recommends changing nonvoting youth member terms to an October appointment. The City Council may wish to also change the term from one year to two-year terms, aligning with the at-large and alternate members. This would allow them a substantial period to participate, particularly as the majority of commissions only meet quarterly.
Recommended Council Action
Staff recommends that the City Council review the commission and committee appointment process and provide feedback and direction.
Alternative Actions
Council discretion.
Financial Impact
There is no financial impact to this item.
Agenda Item #2.1:
Environmental Review Status
Environmental Impact Report
Negative Declaration
Exempt
Not Applicable
Approved/Certified
No Action Required
Action Requested
Attachments
Commissions and Committees Appointment Policy
Pertinent Sonoma Municipal Code Sections
Agenda Item #2.1:
Adopted February 5, 2018 / Revised: September 5, 2018 / April 19, 2021 / August 3, 2022 / October 19, 2022 1 COUNCIL COMMISSION AND COMMITTEE APPOINTMENT POLICY
Purpose:
Public involvement is crucial to the City’s decision-making process, and appointed advisory bodies are an important and valued part of City government. There are particular areas of decision-making which benefit from the advice and counsel of qualified residents. Advisory bodies assist the City Council in making the most informed decisions. The Sonoma Municipal Code provides for the establishment of advisory bodies including commissions and committees to advise the City Council and provide ongoing citizen input into policies and issues affecting the Sonoma Community.
The purpose of this Policy is to outline those Council policies pertaining to the City’s Commissions and Committees and set forth a structure that encourages meaningful involvement by the community in decision-making.
I. Definition - Types of Commissions and Committees
A. Group A – Regional/Valley Committees and Commissions Regional/Valley Committees and Commissions refer to those commissions, boards, and committees which are governmental entities separate and apart from the City of Sonoma, and/or boards whose jurisdiction extends beyond the City of Sonoma. The City Council is authorized to make an appointment or appointments to these boards, commissions and/or committees. These commissions, boards and committees shall be referred to as the “Group A Commissions” and identified in Exhibit A.
B. Group B – City Commissions and Committees
City commissions and committees are those bodies formed by the City Council which are assigned duties and responsibilities particular to the City of Sonoma and whose jurisdiction is limited to the matters and affairs of the City of Sonoma. These commissions and committees shall be referred to as the “Group B Commissions” and identified in Exhibit B.
II. Applications for City Committees and Commissions or Regional/Valley Committees and Commissions
A. Application Process
1. Anyone interested in being considered for service on a Group A or Group B Commission shall submit an application for appointment or for reappointment indicating an interest in serving. The application can be filled out online or filled out in hard copy format and submitted to the City Clerk’s office within the time prescribed by the City Clerk. Applications are maintained on file in the City Clerk’s Office for twelve months from the time of receipt and considered active.
2. Whenever a vacancy occurs on a Group A or Group B Commission, the City Clerk shall post a notice of vacancy notifying the public of the vacancy to be filled in compliance with the Maddy Act. Notwithstanding the noticing provisions of the Maddy Act, the City Manager may prescribe a different period of time than specified in the Maddy Act within which applications for said vacancy must be submitted to the City Clerk. The Maddy Act (Cal. Gov. Code 54974) outlines certain processes that must be followed in the instance of a vacancy on a commission.
Agenda Item #2.1:
Adopted February 5, 2018 / Revised: September 5, 2018 / April 19, 2021 / August 3, 2022 / October 19, 2022 2 3. Other than as otherwise specified in these policies, applicants may be selected to a Group B Commission without being informally or formally interviewed.
II. Appointment Process for Group A Commissions.
A. Utilize the Mayoral Appointment Process
1. Vacancies on Group A Commissions shall be filled by nomination of the Mayor and ratification by the City Council. Upon learning that a vacancy has occurred or will occur on one or more of the Group A Commissions, the City Clerk shall review applications on file for interested applicants. Any responsive applications will be forwarded to the Mayor. If there are none, the City Clerk will solicit applications. When the application period is complete, the City Clerk will then compile a list of all qualified applicants and email that list as well as their applications to the Mayor. As soon as is reasonably practicable, the Mayor shall select another councilmember (“co-councilmember”) to serve as a Council committee to interview the qualified applicants. These interviews may occur without compliance with the Ralph M. Brown Act and shall be based on questions that the Mayor and the co-councilmember, collaborating with Staff, deem appropriate. Every reasonable effort should be made to pose the same or substantially similar questions to each interviewed candidate. After consultation with his/her cocouncilmember, the Mayor will determine the person he/she wishes to appoint to the vacant position. The Mayor shall notify the City Clerk and City Manager of the name of the final candidate for release in final agenda packet.
2. With respect to the Council meeting at which the Mayor’s nomination shall be considered by the Council, the staff report shall include a list of all the interviewed candidates and copies of the applications submitted by each. The name of the Mayor’s nominee shall be identified in the staff report.
3. At the Council meeting at which the Mayor’s nominee shall be considered for ratification by the Council, the Mayor shall announce his/her nominee and articulate the reasons for the nomination. In the event the Mayor’s nominee is not ratified by the Council, the Mayor shall be entitled to nominate a different person from the list of candidates included with the staff report. If the Mayor’s second nominee fails to be ratified, the Mayor shall be entitled to nominate a third person from the list of candidates, and so on until the Mayor’s nominee is ratified, the list is exhausted, or the Mayor declines to continue making nominations, whichever comes first.
III. Appointment Process for Group B Commissions.
A. Individual Council Member Appointments
1. Each Council Member shall be entitled to appoint one member of each of the Group B Commissions. No formal interview process by the Council is required. It shall be left to the sole discretion of each Council Member as to the nature and scope of any interview or investigation into the qualifications and/or background of the candidates. However, only persons whose names appear on said list and who have timely submitted applications may be considered for appointment. Upon the vacancy or likely vacancy of a position on a Group B Commission, and generally at least 15 days, but no less than 7 days, the Council meeting at which a candidate is to be selected to fill the vacancy, the City Clerk shall email a list of all of the qualified applicants for that position, along with their applications, to each Council Member.
Agenda Item #2.1:
Adopted February 5, 2018 / Revised: September 5, 2018 / April 19, 2021 / August 3, 2022 / October 19, 2022 3 2. The order in which individual Council Members shall be entitled to select persons to fill vacant positions on Group B Commissions will be determined by a random draw.
The random draw shall determine the order (“rotation order”) in which each Council Member is entitled to pick his/her candidate for each of the Group B Commissions. In short, there will be a separate appointment order for each of the Group B Commissions, which shall remain in place until changed by vote of the members of the Council. In the event that a single Council Member resigns, fails to be re-elected, or whose position is otherwise vacated, his/her successor Council Member shall take the place in the rotation order enjoyed by his/her predecessor Council Member. In the event that more than one Council Member position becomes vacant for any reason at the same time, the successors to those positions shall step into the rotation order based upon a flip of the coin, drawing of straws, or some other random procedure that is governed by luck.
3. The City Clerk shall keep a record of the appointments and the Council Member’s (and his/her successor’s)1 rotation order.
4. Whenever a member of a Group B Commission who is appointed by an individual Council Member vacates his/her office for any reason, the Council Member who made the appointment shall be entitled to make the appointment to fill that vacancy.
B. At-Large, Non-Voting Youth, Non-Voting Arborist Members Selected by Majority Vote of Council
1. Excluding alternates, each member of a Group B Commission who is not selected by the individual Council Member appointment process described in section III A above, (“At-Large” positions or members, non-voting Youth member, and non-voting arborist), shall be selected by a majority vote of the City Council. These positions shall be filled at a noticed public meeting of the City Council. The staff report submitted for these appointment(s) shall include the list of all candidates as well copies or links to each of their applications.
IV. Alternates, Youth Members, and Arborist
A. Alternates on Group B Commissions
1. The City Council, by majority vote, shall appoint one alternate member to each Group B Commission. The alternate member shall be in addition to the other, regular number of members (“regular members”). These alternate positions shall be filled at a noticed public meeting of the City Council. The staff report submitted for these appointment(s) shall include the list of all candidates as well copies or links to each of their applications.
2. Like regular members, the alternate shall attend the regular meetings and special meetings of the Commission to which he/she is appointed. The alternate shall review staff reports and documents and otherwise prepare in preparation for the meetings.
The alternate will be identified for the record and will publicly announce any items on the agenda that he/she is disqualified from participating in because of a conflict of interest. If, as a result of absences, one or more regular members cannot participate at a regular or special meeting, the alternate shall move to any vacant seat and shall participate as a regular member until the completion of the agenda item for which the 1 Hereinafter, whenever reference is made to a councilmember, it shall also refer to that councilmember’s successors – as determined in accordance with these policies.
Agenda Item #2.1:
Adopted February 5, 2018 / Revised: September 5, 2018 / April 19, 2021 / August 3, 2022 / October 19, 2022 4 regular member was absent. If the alternate participates due to a conflict of interest of a regular member, the alternate shall participate as a regular member only until the affected item is completed. In the event an absent member arrives after the commencement of an agenda item, the alternate shall participate as a regular member until the completion of that item, at which time the alternate shall move back to the alternate’s seat and shall stop participating as a regular member. In the event an item on which the alternate member has participated as a regular member is continued to a subsequent meeting, the alternate shall continue to participate as a regular member on the item at any and all subsequent meetings.
3. The qualifications, appointment, term of office, attendance, removal and other requirements applicable to the alternate shall be the same as those for At-Large members of the Group B Commission, except that the alternate position may be filled only by a resident of the City of Sonoma. The alternate shall also be subject to the requirements of and shall abide by the Ralph M. Brown Act, the Political Reform Act of 1974 and other law applicable to the regular members of the Group B Commission.
4. The alternate to a Group B Commission, if willing to accept the position, shall automatically fill a vacancy of an At-Large position on the commission when the vacancy is created by the resignation, removal or expiration of the term of office of the At-Large commissioner, whether or not that At-Large commissioner is a resident of the City. The alternate shall serve out the remaining term of office of the At-Large commissioner whose position the alternate fills. Said ascension to the vacant position shall be temporary and once the person appointed by the Council or a councilmember to fill that position is sworn in, the alternate shall step down and resume his/her office as an alternate. If an alternate who is otherwise qualified to fill such a vacancy declines to do so, then that temporarily vacant position shall be filled pursuant to the procedures applicable to the position.
5. The alternate to a Group B Commission, if willing to accept the position, shall automatically fill a vacancy on the commission when said vacancy is created by the resignation, removal or expiration of the term of office of a commissioner appointed by a single councilmember, whether or not that commissioner is a resident of the City.
Ascension to the vacant position shall be temporary and once the person appointed by the councilmember is sworn in, the alternate shall step down and resume his/her office as an alternate. If an alternate who is otherwise qualified to fill such a temporary vacancy declines to do so, then that temporarily vacant position shall be filled pursuant to the procedures applicable to the position.
6. An alternate who declines to fill a vacancy shall continue serving as an alternate to the Group B Commission on which he/she sits under the same terms and conditions upon which he/she began his/her service.
B. Youth Members on Group B Commissions
1. The City Council, by majority vote, shall appoint one non-voting Youth member to each Group B Commission. The Youth member shall be in addition to the other, voting members and alternates. These non-voting Youth member positions shall be filled at a noticed public meeting of the City Council. The staff report submitted for these appointment(s) shall include the list of all candidates as well copies or links to each of their applications. The non-voting youth member shall be at least 14 years of age, but no older than 18 years of age at the time of appointment and shall be a resident of the city or Sonoma Valley, as defined herein.
Agenda Item #2.1:
Adopted February 5, 2018 / Revised: September 5, 2018 / April 19, 2021 / August 3, 2022 / October 19, 2022 5 C. Arborist on Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Commission
1. The City Council, by majority vote, shall appoint one non-voting Arborist member to the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Commission. The Arborist member shall be in addition to the other voting members, alternate, and non-voting Youth member.
The Arborist member will be certified by the International Society of Arboriculture.
The non-voting Arborist position shall be filled at a noticed public meeting of the City Council. The staff report submitted for these appointment(s) shall include the list of all candidates as well copies or links to each of their applications V. Terms of Office for Commissioners Selected by Council A. No Term Limit for Commissioners
1. There shall be no limit on the number of years or time a person selected by the Council may serve as a commissioner or alternate on a Group B Commission.
2. Unless the Group A Commission has preset term limits, there shall be no limit on the number of years or time a person nominated by the Mayor and ratified by the Council may serve as a commissioner or alternate on a Group A Commission.
3. For persons appointed to serve as commissioners on Group A or Group B Commissions through the mayoral process or by majority vote of the members of the Council their terms of office shall begin on February 1 of the year nearest to the date on which they were sworn into office. For example, a person who is appointed to a Group A Commission and who is sworn in on May 1, 2018, shall begin serving upon being sworn, but be deemed to have commenced office on February 1, 2018. A person who is appointed to a Group A Commission and is sworn in on November 1, 2017, shall begin to serve on that commission immediately upon being sworn in, but his/her term of office shall, as stated above, be deemed to commence on February 1, 2018.
4. With the exception of the Youth member of each Group B Commission, the terms of office of persons appointed to serve as commissioners on Group A or Group B Commissions through the mayoral process or by majority vote of the members of the Council shall be two years, to coincide with city council elections, or as set by the commission/committee in the case of a Group A appointment.
5. The Youth member of each Group B Commission shall be appointed to serve a term of one year, beginning August 1 through July 31.
VI. Terms of Office of Persons Appointed by Individual Councilmembers A. Terms of Office of Persons appointed by Individual Council members shall be as follows:
1. Assuming a Council member serves a full four-year term, their appointees are entitled to serve a four-year term coterminous with the Council member’s term. Should a Council member be re-elected for a subsequent term, the Council member may choose to re-appoint the same appointee or may choose to appoint a different person as the Council member’s second term starts. Any advertising of the appointment shall note that there is an incumbent who may be re-appointed.
Agenda Item #2.1:
Adopted February 5, 2018 / Revised: September 5, 2018 / April 19, 2021 / August 3, 2022 / October 19, 2022 6 2. If a Council member leaves office before their term concludes, the departing Council members’ appointee can remain on the Group B commission until such time as the appointee is re-appointed or replaced by the Council member newly-elected to the departing Council member’s seat. Following the seating of a new Council member to the departing Council member’s seat, the new Council member can make a new appointment to the Group B Commission that is coterminous with the new Council member’s term of office.
VII. Commission Serves Until Replacement Has Been Sworn In
A. Commissioners Serve Until Replaced
Notwithstanding the fact that a commissioner’s term of office may have otherwise expired pursuant to the policies adopted herein (including pursuant to section VI.A.1. above), that commissioner shall still be entitled to attend the meetings of the commission on which he/she serves, participate as a regular member of that commission, vote on all items brought before the commission, and otherwise discharge the duties and perform the obligations of regular members until the person selected to replace the commissioner has been sworn in and assumes the full duties of a regular member of the commission.
VIII. Non-Resident Appointees
As to those commission positions which may be filled by appointees who are not residents of the City, they must be filled by appointees who reside in the Sonoma Valley. For purposes of this policy, “Sonoma Valley” means the area within the Sonoma Valley Unified School District (Exhibit C).
IX. Proof of Residency
By signing the commission application, the applicant is making a declaration that the information is true and correct. If residency is challenged, applicant will be asked to furnish proof of residency to the City Manager who shall determine whether the applicant has established that they are a resident (e.g., lease agreement, utility bill, bank statement).
Agenda Item #2.1:
Adopted February 5, 2018 / Revised: September 5, 2018 / April 19, 2021 / August 3, 2022 / October 19, 2022 7 EXHIBIT A
GROUP A COMMISSIONS – REGIONAL/VALLEY
1. Sonoma Valley Citizen’s Advisory Commission - 3 Commissioners/1 Alternate and Nonvoting Members: 1 Emeritus member who must be a former Commissioner or alternate, and 1 Ex-Officio and 1 Ex-Officio Alternate who must be a Councilmember, Planning Commissioner or Planning Staff member.
2. Oversight Board of the Successor Agency of the Former Redevelopment Agency of the City of Sonoma – 1 Member/1 Alternate and 1 Employee Representative/1 Alternate
3. Sonoma Community Housing Corporation Board
4. Sonoma County Library Commission – 1 Commissioner
5. Marin/Sonoma Mosquito and Vector Control District Board – 1 Member
6. County-Wide Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission – 1 Member
7. Sonoma County Sustainable Groundwater Management Advisory Committee – 1 Member Agenda Item #2.1:
Adopted February 5, 2018 / Revised: September 5, 2018 / April 19, 2021 / August 3, 2022 / October 19, 2022 8 EXHIBIT B
GROUP B COMMISSIONS – CITY
1. Planning Commission – 7 Commissioners/1 Alternate/1 Non-Voting Youth
2. Climate Action Commission – 5 Commissioners/1 Alternate/1 Non-Voting Youth
3. Cultural and Fine Arts Commission – 7 Commissioners/1 Alternate/1 Non-Voting Youth
4. Parks, Recreation, & Open Space Commission – 5 Commissioners/1 Alternate/1 NonVoting Certified Arborist/1 Non-Voting Youth
5. Design Review and Historic Preservation Commission – 5 Commissioners/1 Alternate/1 Non-Voting Youth
6. Traffic Safety Committee – 5 Members/1 Alternate/1 Non-Voting Youth Agenda Item #2.1:
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