Follow up from November 19, 2024 Joint City Council Study Session with Board/Commission Chairs/Vice Chairs
Operational Suggestions
1. Examine orientation practices/onboarding for new members when a regular Staff Liaison is not available to conduct in-depth training.
Status: City Clerk’s Office staff and the department director for a department supporting a particular Board or Commission will meet to ensure an interim Staff Liaison is able to provide quality orientation and onboard for new members when the regular Staff Liaison is not available.
2. Leverage existing communication tools such as the Horizon Newsletter to share more info about Board/Commissions and encourage participation.
Status: General information regarding Board and Commission recruitment is included in the Horizon Newsletter. The Horizon and other City communication tools typically highlight significant project or policy work. Recent Update Sunnyvale articles highlighted Board and Commission recruitment and recruitment for the Sustainability Commission. St aff will consider similar Board/Commission specific content for Update Sunnyvale in the future. Staff are preparing a more in-depth article regarding Boards/Commissions for an upcoming Horizon issue.
3. P
rovide the annual chair/vice chair training recording to all Board and Commission Members or add a module on meeting effectiveness to new Member Orientation.
Status: Recordings of the 2024 Chair/Vice Chair Training and the Conducting an Effective Meeting training were shared with Board/Commission Members. W hile this content may be of interest to Board/Commission Members in general, the target audience is Chairs and Vice Chairs – mandating either of these trainings or incorporating this type of training into the new member orientation could overwhelm new members that are less familiar with the roll of board/commission members.
4. P
rovide a summary of annual key achievements for Boards/Commissions on the City's web site to increase involvement in Boards and Commissions.
Status: The Boards and Commissions page i ncludes the purpose and annual work plan for each Board/Commission. The City Clerk’s Office has let respective department staff know of this interest. As time permits, staff may identify 2-3 recent accomplishments that may be added for a Board or Commission.
5. P
ublicize that Oral Communications (general public comment on non-agenda items) is one of the first items on Board/Commission meeting agendas.
Status: Oral Communications is included on each Board and Commission regular meeting agenda and includes an explanation that Oral Communications is the opportunity for the public to address the Board/Commission on items not Attachment 2
listed on the agenda. Oral Communications follows the same agenda placement on Board/Commission meeting agendas as on City Council meeting agendas.
Oral Communications is scheduled after study session and presentation agenda items. A link to Making Public Comment h as been added towards the top of the Boards and Commissions page..
6. Budget for all Planning Commissioners to attend the League of California Cities Planning Commissioners Academy ann
ually.
Status: Community Development Department staff have been made aware of this request and will consider it along with other funding needs across the department.
7. Include a table in Planning Commission staff reports that outlines the limits of the Commission’s discretion for that agenda item as provided for by federal, state and local law.
Status: Community Development Department staff have been made aware of this request and do not recommend developing this type of additional guidance for Planning Commission staff reports. The federal, state and local legal landscape for land use decisions is complex and limits on the Commission’s discretion cannot be clearly summarized in a table. The Office of the City Attorney staffs all Planning Commission meetings and can advise Commissioners as needed on any item in question.
8. Conduct more joint study sessions with more than one Board/Commission on larger policy projects.
Status: This request has been communicated to staff. Where appropriate, and Board/Commission Member availability allows, staff may conduct joint meetings instead of bringing the same agenda item to multiple boards/commissions.
9. Provide a report from staff on what other Boards and Commissions are working on throughout the year.
Status: This information is already publicly available. Board/Commission Members are encouraged to review the work plans for other Boards and Commissions, S ubscribe t o receive meeting agenda notices of Boards/Commissions of interest and review upcoming meeting agendas posted on the Meetings and Agendas page.
10. Request to meet routinely with Staff Liaison to get a better understanding of staff’s duties.
Status: Board/Commission Members are welcome to request meetings with their Staff Liaison. It is important to note staff have a multitude of responsibilities, a portion of which relate to their Staff Liaison role. Such meetings should focus on the Board/Commission Member’s policy advisory role and not interfere with operations of the department.
Attachment 2
11. Enhance communication and engagement with Board/Commission Members regarding things happening in the City that relate to each Board/Commission’s purview.
Status: Board/Commission Staff Liaisons have been made aware of this request, in addition, the City Clerk’s Office has increased the frequency of notifying Board/Commission Members when City Council considers items related to the role of Board/Commission members.
Board/Commission Members are encouraged to review the work plans for other Boards and Commissions, Subscribe t
o receive meeting agenda notices of
Boards/Commissions of interest and review upcoming meeting agendas posted on the Meetings and Agendas page.
12. Additional training and on-the-spot assistance for Board/Commission Members regarding the Parliamentary Procedure, 4th Edition (Sturgis) rules and Ralph M.
Brown Act (open meetings law) questions and concerns.
Status: Board/Commission Members are encouraged to review the recorded training materials and guides on the Board and Commission Member Resources page. Staff have been reminded of these resources and have been encouraged to review as their workload permits to remain current with procedural requirements. The City staffs City Council, Planning Commission and Personnel Board meetings with City Attorneys. Expanding this in-meeting legal support to additional boards and commissions is cost prohibitive.
13. A
concern over the politicization of the X social media platform was raised along with a suggestion to exploring additional social media channels.
Status: Both the City as a whole and the Department of Public Safety have significant community reach through the X social media platform – staff plan to continue engagement on this platform for the foreseeable future. As the City’s Communications team grows, one area the team will be exploring is enhancing the City’s social media presence on its current platforms and potentially expanding to other social media platforms. Individuals can engage with Sunnyvale’s social media accounts by visiting Social Media Center.
Remaining Follow up from November Nov. 14, 2023 Joint City Council Study Session with Board/Commission Chairs/Vice Chairs (all other items complete)
Operational Suggestions
1. New Commissioner Role Playing Training
Follow-Up Underway: This could be facilitated as part of new member orientation.
If held separate from the orientation, staff would need to hold more than one session to maintain alignment with the Brown Act. City Clerk is working with the Office of the City Attorney to update a script from a past role-playing training.
2. Cut together a recording of parliamentary procedure in action.
Attachment 2
Follow-Up Underway as Time Permits: This could be accomplished although will be time consuming. As time permits, staff will search for existing training resources.
Attachment 2