Council set to officially change its commissions/boards/committee policy

As promised, the city is preparing to completely revamp its board/commission/committee policy through a series of ordinances that will have their first readings at tonight’s city council meeting. And they are going to do it without soliciting public input on the matter, at least not public input specific to these particular ordinances.

In brief, the ordinances will accomplish the following:

• Abolish the Strategic Planning and Finance Committee; the Community Relations Committee; the Public Works and Service Committee; the Mobility Committee; the Parks and Recreation Committee; the Safety and Emergency Services Committee; the Economic Development and Tourism Committee; the Long Range Planning Committee; the Council Advisory Committee; and the Development Services Committee.
• Permit the city to establish boards that may or may not assume the functions of the abolished committees. Members of these boards will be appointed by individual council members, but must be approved by a majority of council members. A board member serves a two-year term and cannot serve more than two terms. A prospective board member must have lived in the city for at least a year and not owe any money to the city.
• Create an Economic Development and Tourism Board.
• Create a Parks and Recreation Board. This board will be responsible for providing "advisory oversight of public playgrounds, athletic fields, recreation centers and other facilities and activities on property owned or controlled by the city and designated as a public park, or on other properties with the consent of the owners and authorities thereof. It shall have the responsibility to recommend any form of recreation activity that will employ the leisure time of the people in a constructive and wholesome manner."
• Allow the council to establish ad hoc committees as needed. These committees will be narrowly focused, have a specific assignment and have a life span of one year or until their assignment is completed. A committee member must be a "qualified voter of the city." I have absolutely no idea why a member of an ad-hoc committee must be a qualified voter and a member of a board does not.
• Redefines the Board of Adjustments to mean "a board appointed by the council to consider appeals from certain administrative actions pursuant to V.T.C.A., Local Government Code § 211.008, and that is given the authority set forth in this chapter and in V.T.C.A., Local Government Code § 211.009."

Not to worry, policy wonks will understand that last bullet point.

WARNING: If you have anything you want to tell the council about these proposed actions, don’t wait until the item comes up on the agenda because it will be too late. The council did not include a public hearing as part of this proposed ordinance change. So if you want to voice your opinion one way or the other, you’re going to have to speak up at the beginning of the council session, during the open Public Comment period.