TO:Andrew P. Powers, City Manager
FROM:Kelvin Parker, Community Development Director
DATE:November 14, 2023
SUBJECT: Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency Board of Directors Citizen Member Appointment
RECOMMENDATION:
1. Appoint Dorothy Sullivan to fill the scheduled private citizen vacancy on the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency (COSCA) Board of Directors, subject to concurrence of the Conejo Recreation and Park District Board of Directors.
2. Find that this action is not a project as defined under the California Environmental Quality Act.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
No Additional Funding Requested. Minimal staff time required to prepare the report is included in the Adopted FY 2023-24 General Fund Budget.
BACKGROUND:
COSCA is a Joint Powers Agency formed by the City of Thousand Oaks and the Conejo Recreation and Park District (CRPD). Article VI of the Joint Powers Agreement provides that:
“The Agency [COSCA] shall be administered by the Board which shall consist of five (5) members to be appointed as follows: Two (2) members of the Board shall be members of and be appointed by the City Council of the City; two (2) members of the Board shall be members of and appointed by the governing board of the District; and one (1) member of the board shall be a private citizen, resident of the City or residing within the jurisdictional boundary of the District and shall be nominated by the above four (4) members of the Board and appointed by mutual agreement of the legislative bodies of the City and District.”
Appointment of Private Citizen Member to COSCA Board of Directors November 14, 2023
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1 COSCA Board members serve four-year terms, and the term of the current private citizen member will expire in January 2024. This appointment will fill the position for the next four-year period.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS:
The City Clerk Department began the 2023 recruitment process for the scheduled COSCA Board vacancy by posting the Vacancy Notice on May 23, 2023. The Vacancy Notice was posted on COSCA’s website and social media outlets, and a press release was sent to the Thousand Oaks Acorn. Additionally, a notice was posted in the City Hall display case area near the main entrance on the second floor, on the City Clerk Department webpage on the City’s website, at both libraries, at CRPD headquarters, and was circulated via email to interest groups representing hiking, mountain biking, and equestrians. Six applications were received during the filing period that ended on June 22, 2023. One applicant subsequently withdrew their application.
At its May 10, 2023, Board meeting, the COSCA Board of Directors created a Candidate Screening Ad Hoc Committee (Committee) consisting of Director Engler (City) and Director Huffer (CRPD). Interviews were conducted on July 14, 2023; five (5) candidates completed the interview process. Following the review of all applications and candidate interviews, the Committee chose to nominate Dorothy Sullivan.
At the regular COSCA Board of Directors meeting of November 8, 2023, the Candidate Screening Ad Hoc Committee formally nominated Dorothy Sullivan to serve as the Private Citizen Member of the COSCA Board of Directors. The COSCA Board subsequently voted to approve the nomination of Dorothy Sullivan subject to the approval of the Thousand Oaks City Council and the Board of Directors for the Conejo Recreation and Park District.
Dorothy Sullivan has a long history of participation in local open space issues and organizations. She has served as an appointed member of the Conejo Open Space Trails Action Committee since 2015, served on the Conejo Open Space Foundation Board for four years, and served on the COSCA Trail Naming Committee, the Sapwi Bike Park Committee, National Park Service Bark Rangers program, Conejo Off-Leash Areas Board, and Newbury Park High School Mountain Biking Team Boosters. Her connections with many of COSCA’s user groups will make her an effective representative on the COSCA Board of Directors.
Appointment of Private Citizen Member to COSCA Board of Directors November 14, 2023
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1 COUNCIL GOAL COMPLIANCE:
Meets the following City Council goal:
B. Provide municipal government leadership which is open and responsive to residents, and is characterized by ethical behavior, stability, promoting public trust, transparency, confidence in the future, and cooperative interaction among civic leaders, residents, business representatives, and staff, while recognizing and respecting legitimate differences of opinion on critical issues facing the City.
PREPARED BY: Brian Stark, COSCA Administrator
Attachment:
Attachment #1 – COSCA Private Citizen Member Application of Dorothy Sullivan
531-20\bs\H:\COMMON\COSCA\Board Meeting Records-Info\Public Member\2023 Public Member Selection\Council Actions\COSCA Public Member Council Appointment 20231114.docx"