Dear Council,
I suggest that you pull item D1: Commissions/Committees from tonight's agenda so that this policy can have more public input --
especially from those currently serving. I would hold at least two "listening" sessions where those serving (and those who have
served) can come and give their input regarding suggested changes to the roles. Council could walk around listening. You would
supplement these sessions with a short survey. Let me know how I can be of help. I would be happy to come back with a more formal,
short proposal on this topic.
Many of the MP commissions are very staff directed -- with the staff even preparing the quarterly updates to Council (or wanting
to prepare them).
It's time to collect feedback into how the Commission/Committee roles could be more meaningful for the residents serving. The role
also needs to better protect the public good and become a place where the public can provide meaningful input. The MP staff
reports also do not customarily go through a commission/committee before they go to Council. This illustrates one major problem
with our current commissions and why so many of their agendas feature items of routine business only along with items in the
Informational category. You would see higher quality staff reports if staff first had their reports reviewed by at least one
Commission before the report went to Council. The residents serving would also be much better informed with this change.
Even the Planning Commission could be evolved so that it actually did more planning rather than just approve (or disapprove)
projects.
The Library Commission is supposed to follow California State law
[http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=EDC&division=1.&title=1.&part=11.&chapter=5.&article=2.].
It does not currently. I've writen our City Attorney about this matter before but not heard back from him regarding the need for
the LC to follow California State Law.
Residents in Belle Haven also object to the idea of combining the Library Commission with the Belle Haven Library Advisory
Committee. Their voices should be listened to in a public meeting rather than accepting a staff-driven decision to merge the two
groups.
Lynne Bramlett
