City of Sunnyvale
Meeting Minutes
Council Subcommittee on Boards and
Commissions
3:00 PM Online and Bay Conference Room (Room
145), City Hall, 456 W. Olive Ave.,
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
Wednesday, February 14, 2024
Special Meeting - 3 PM
CALL TO ORDER
City Clerk David Carnahan called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m.
ROLL CALL
Present: 3 - Member Russ Melton
Member Alysa Cisneros
Member Richard Mehlinger
A 24-0041 Selection of Chair
Subcommittee Member Melton nominated Subcommittee Member Mehlinger to serve as Chair. Subcommittee Member Mehlinger accepted the nomination.
City Clerk David Carnahan closed the nominations.
Public Comment opened at 3:03 p.m.
No speakers.
Public Comment closed at 3:03 p.m.
City Clerk Carnahan conduced the vote of the nomination.
Vote:
Yes: 3 - Member Russ Melton
Member Alysa Cisneros
Member Richard Mehlinger
No: 0
PRESENTATIONS
February 14, 2024Council Subcommittee on Boards
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Meeting Minutes
B 24-0106 Update Regarding Operational Changes Initiated by Staff Following the November 14, 2024 Joint Meeting of City
Council With Board and Commission Chairs and Vice Chairs City Clerk David Carnahan provided the staff report.
The Subcommittee discussed or suggested recommendations to operational changes in the topic areas of parliamentary procedure training, meeting minutes and member remote participation at meetings.
- Comment that having more detail in the meeting minutes would be beneficial for Council. Specifically, if the discussion topic is controversial or has extensive public comment.
- Comment that meetings are viewable on YouTube and a viewer can select playback speed.
- Comment that including a summary of staff response(s) in the meeting minutes would be beneficial for Council.
- Suggestion to include a highlight reel on Parliamentary Procedure training with a scenario component that allows a viewer to consider what decision(s) the presiding officer could have taken at various points in the scenario. - Suggestion to include a “competition” component to the Parliamentary Procedure training.
- Comment in support of the staff liaison enforcing parliamentary procedure when needed.
- Suggestion to include the Parliamentary Procedure cheat sheet page on the Boards and Commissions Resource webpage.
- Comments supporting the City’s policy regarding remote participation by members at their respective board or commission meeting.
- Suggestion to offer a refresher training on the Ralph M. Brown Act, specifically on serial meetings.
- Suggestion that board and commission agenda packets be reviewed by the Chair prior to publication.
Public Comment opened at 3:33 p.m.
David Kesting shared support to notify members of public meetings that include a topic related to their respective board or commission. He also communicated organizing visits to City offices to help members better understand City operations and processes and expanding dialogue on Study Issues during meetings to help
February 14, 2024Council Subcommittee on Boards
and Commissions
Meeting Minutes
foster creativity.
Sharlene Liu voiced support to include a summary of staff responses in meeting minutes.
Agnes Veith communicated support for active members to be involved in the board and commission interview/appointment process.
Public Comment closed at 3:41 p.m.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Public Comment opened at 3:49 p.m.
No speakers.
Public Comment closed at 3:49 p.m.
CONSENT CALENDAR
Public Comment opened at 3:51 p.m.
No speakers.
Public Comment closed at 3:51 p.m.
MOTION: Subcommittee Member Melton moved and Subcommittee Member Cisneros seconded the motion to approve agenda item 1.A.
The motion carried with the following vote:
Yes: Chair Mehlinger
Member Melton
Member Cisneros
3 -
No: 0
1.A 24-0108 Approve the Council Subcommittee on Boards and Commissions Meeting Minutes of January 23, 2023
Approve the Council Subcommittee on Boards and Commissions Minutes of January 23, 2023, as submitted.
GENERAL BUSINESS
2 24-0302 Policy Suggestions for Subcommittee Consideration Identified at the November 14, 2023 Joint Meeting of City Council with Board and Commission Chairs and Vice Chairs and Potential
February 14, 2024Council Subcommittee on Boards
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Meeting Minutes
Subcommittee Recommendations to Council Regarding
Council Policy 7.2.19 (Boards and Commissions)
City Clerk David Carnahan provided the staff report.
Public Hearing opened at 3:59 p.m.
Sharlene Liu voiced support for providing a method for members to add agenda items that do not require staff support, allowing an originating board/commission to communicate their reasoning for a Study Issue and providing a board/commission report in Reports to Council where the board/commission did not move the staff recommendation.
Agnes Veith communicated support to allow active members to provide Council with questions to be asked during the board and commission interview process.
Public Hearing closed at 4:03 p.m.
The Subcommittee discussed the policy suggestions identified at the joint meeting.
Policy Suggestion 1: When a Board or Commission considers a Study Issue generated by a different Board/Commission the originating Board/Commission be able to communicate the reasoning for the Study Issue.
- Comment that members are permitted to attend and speak at board/commission meetings.
- Comment that goal can be achieved through public comment at board/commission meetings.
- Comment that members are encouraged to forward their comments to Council. - Comment that members are empowered to provide public comment, written comment and meet with other board/commission members.
Policy Suggestion 2: Provide a Board/Commission report in Reports to Council where the Board/Commission did not move the staff recommendation. - Support for current practice of utilizing a cover report that provides a summary of the board/commission action.
- Comment that Chairs are encouraged, in their capacity, to provide a summary of their board/commission’s dissenting opinion via public or written comment to Council.
- Comment that goal can be achieved through public comment. - Suggestion that agenda packets include a Chair’s written public comment when
February 14, 2024Council Subcommittee on Boards
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Meeting Minutes
they are speaking on behalf of their board/commission, if deemed feasible by City staff.
Policy Suggestion 3: Allow one member of each Board/Commission to participate in the appointment process for other members of their Board/Commission. - Comments in support of current practice.
- Comments encouraging members to submit potential questions to ask applicants during the board and commission interviews to Council.
- Comment that members are encouraged to review and provide initial feedback on candidate applications.
- Suggestion that annual work plans include a “Review of Board/Commission Application Questions” to allow the board/commission to propose for Council consideration one to two questions related to their respective board/commission.
MOTION: Subcommittee Chair Mehlinger moved, and Subcommittee Member Cisneros seconded the motion to recommend to Council adding an item to each board/commission’s annual work plan to review and propose new supplemental questions for the board/commission application.
The motion carried with the following vote:
Yes: Chair Mehlinger
Member Melton
Member Cisneros
3 -
No: 0
Policy Suggestion 4: Create a transportation commission or adjust the scope of an existing commission such as BPAC or Sustainability to include more transportation issues.
- Comments in support of the suggestion via a Study Issue. - Comments were shared related to the structure and membership of the commission. Such as, members consisting of a Councilmember along with Commissioners from Planning, Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory and Sustainability Commissions.
Subcommittee Chair Mehlinger stated they will prepare a draft study issue for the Subcommittee’s review.
Policy Suggestion 5: Expand Arts Commission to an Arts and Culture Commission. - Comment that communicating culture through art is of value and is included in the
February 14, 2024Council Subcommittee on Boards
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Meeting Minutes
commission’s scope.
- Comment that art is not limited to paintings and sculptures. - Support for modifying, if needed, the Arts Commission description to include categories such as literary art literature, dance, music, theater, etc.
MOTION: Subcommittee Chair Mehlinger moved to recommend to Council modifying this year’s Arts Commission work plan to add an item regarding how the Commission might engage with non-visual arts.
Subcommittee Member Cisneros seconded the motion and offered a friendly amendment to incorporate “dynamic, interactive and literary art forms” in the work plan description. Subcommittee Chair Mehlinger accepted the friendly amendment.
MOTION AS AMENDED: Subcommittee Chair Mehlinger moved and Subcommittee Member Cisneros seconded the motion to recommend to Council modifying this year’s Arts Commission work plan to add dynamic, interactive and literary art forms.
The motion as amended carried with the following vote:
Yes: Chair Mehlinger
Member Melton
Member Cisneros
3 -
No: 0
Policy Suggestion 6: Expand scope of Heritage Preservation Commission to include more community engagement and Sunnyvale history.
- Comments in support of the suggestion via a Study Issue.
Subcommittee Chair Mehlinger stated they will prepare a draft study issue for the Subcommittee’s review.
Policy Suggestion 7: Provide a clear method for Board/Commission Members to add agenda items that do not require staff support.
- Comment that the current practice provides two methods for agendizing an item, via the Staff Liaison of the board/commission work plan. - Comment that the role of boards and commissions is to provide recommendations to Council.
- Comment that members are encouraged to address Council when there is a sense of urgency.
- Comment in support of member led presentations at board and commission
February 14, 2024Council Subcommittee on Boards
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Meeting Minutes
meetings. In addition, if approved by the board/commission, a Chair can communicate presentation highlights to Council.
- Comment in support of communicating to board and commission members that member led presentations are permitted and encouraged within the confines of existing work plan.
- Comment in support of a policy change that would authorize the Chair to provide Council with written communication on the contents of the member led presentation.
MOTION: Subcommittee Chair Mehlinger moved and Subcommittee Member Cisneros seconded the motion to return to the Subcommittee with a proposal for the following policy changes:
- Clarify that all boards and commissions are permitted to have member led presentations, so long as they fit in the work plan;
- At member led presentations, the board/commission may take action to authorize the Chair provide written communication related to the presentation to Council.
The motion carried with the following vote:
Yes: Chair Mehlinger
Member Melton
Member Cisneros
3 -
No: 0
MOTION: Subcommittee Chair Mehlinger moved and Subcommittee Member Melton seconded to refer back to the Subcommittee for discussion to increase the size of the Board of Library Trustees and Human Relations Commission from five to seven members.
The motion carried with the following vote:
Yes: Chair Mehlinger
Member Melton
Member Cisneros
3 -
No: 0
MOTION: Subcommittee Chair Mehlinger moved and Subcommittee Member Cisneros seconded the motion to have the Subcommittee agendize an item related to revising the policy to allow board and commission members to communicate with members of the public via email.
The motion carried with the following vote:
February 14, 2024Council Subcommittee on Boards
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Meeting Minutes
Yes: Chair Mehlinger
Member Melton
Member Cisneros
3 -
No: 0
ADJOURNMENT
Chair Mehlinger adjourned the meeting at 5:33 p.m.