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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 10/20/2020 - FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 125, 2020, EXTENDIN Agenda Item 6 Item # 6 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY October 20, 2020 City Council STAFF Elizabeth Blythe, Senior Public Engagement Coordinator Delynn Coldiron, City Clerk Ingrid Decker, Legal SUBJECT First Reading of Ordinance No. 125, 2020, Extending Short-Term Appointments to City Boards and Commissions to December 31, 2021. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to allow Council to extend the one-year interim appointments to advisory boards and commissions that were adopted under Ordinance No. 153, 2019 and are currently set to expire on December 31, 2020. Due to COVID-19, the Reimagine Boards and Commissions public engagement efforts and Council Work Session were delayed resulting in a later implementation timeline, including potential changes to term lengths. This Ordinance would extend these short-term appointments for one additional year with an expiration date of December 31, 2021. This will reduce the number of appointments that need to be filled this year and will allow staff additional time to create a thorough implementation strategy for potential changes due to the Reimagine Boards and Commissions Priority 2021. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION The City has 25 boards and commissions that serve in a variety of capacities from advisory to decision- making. Over 200 residents volunteer valuable time and expertise through board membership. On July 2, 2019, Council adopted a priority to Reimagine Boards and Commissions to explore an improved structure to more closely align with Council goals. A public process is being developed to help explore ways that boards and commissions can provide meaningful experiences for their volunteer members while effectively delivering useful and timely advice to Council from a variety of perspectives. Due to COVID-19, outreach and public engagement efforts for the Reimagine Boards and Commissions Priority were significantly delayed and have been rescheduled for Q4 of 2020. This has resulted in a delay of the implementation of potential changes to the boards and commission terms and structure to Q1 and Q2 of 2021. During 2020, as a result of COVID-19, boards and commissions had an increase in resignations. This created vacancies that led to quorum concerns which were filled per Ordinance No. 153, 2019. This Ordinance extends these short-term appointments for one additional year with an expiration date of December 31, 2021. This will reduce the number of appointments that need to be filled this year and will allow staff additional time to create a thorough implementation strategy for potential changes due to the Reimagine Boards and Commissions Priority 2021. Agenda Item 6 Item # 6 Page 2 BOARD / COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Council has received numerous requests from board and commission members to consider short-term appointments in 2020 for the reasons listed above. Those who have expressed an opinion consider short-term appointments to be an effective way of enabling boards and commissions to function successfully until regular replacement appointments and/or structural changes are determined. -1- ORDINANCE NO. 125, 2020 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS EXTENDING SHORT-TERM APPOINTMENTS TO CITY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS TO DECEMBER 31, 2021 WHEREAS, the City has boards and commissions charged with advising the City Council, whose members are appointed by the City Council through an application and interview process; and WHEREAS, Article III of Chapter 2 of the City Code establishes each board or commission of the City and, for each individual board or commission, states the length of the board members’ terms, which in most cases is four years, and how many terms they may serve (typically two consecutive terms); and WHEREAS, on July 2, 2019, the City Council adopted a Council Priority to Reimagine Boards and Commissions, to explore improvements to the structure and management of the City boards and commissions (the “Reimagine Project”); and WHEREAS, the City Clerk’s Office was instructed to pause reappointments and interviews for positions on all boards and commissions during the Reimagine Project, except for quasi-judicial boards and boards and commissions at risk of falling below their quorum number; and WHEREAS, to ensure boards and commissions could maintain quorums and effectively perform their duties in the face of unplanned absences, the City Council wanted the ability to temporarily fill vacant positions on boards and commission for short periods of time while the Reimagine Project continued in 2020; and WHEREAS, on January 7, 2020, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 153, 2019, stating that, notwithstanding any provision of the City Code to the contrary, the City Council could, from January 17 to December 31, 2020, make appointments to City boards and commissions for terms shorter than required by the applicable provisions of Article III, Chapter 2 of the City Code, and specify for each such appointment whether such term will count towards any applicable term limit specified in Article III, Chapter 2 of the City Code; and WHEREAS, to date 46 short-term appointments have been made pursuant to the authority in Ordinance No. 153, 2019; and WHEREAS, due to COVID-19, outreach and public engagement efforts for the Reimagine Project were significantly delayed and have been rescheduled for the fourth quarter of 2020, resulting in a delay of the implementation of potential changes to the Boards and Commission terms and structure to the first quarter and second quarter of 2021; and WHEREAS, to reduce the number of board and commission appointments that need to be filled in the meantime, the City Council wishes to extend the short-term appointments made under Ordinance No. 153, 2019 to expire December 31, 2021 instead of December 31, 2020; and -2- WHEREAS, the City Council has determined that extending such appointments to City boards and commissions will benefit the City and its residents. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS as follows: Section 1. That the City Council hereby makes and adopts the determinations and findings contained in the recitals set forth above. Section 2. That, notwithstanding any provision of the City Code to the contrary, short-term appointments to City boards and commissions made by the City Council pursuant to Ordinance No. 153, 2019, shall expire on December 31, 2021, unless terminated sooner as provided in the City Code. Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 20th day October, A.D. 2020, and to be presented for final passage on the 4th day of November, A.D. 2020. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk Passed and adopted on final reading on the 4th day of November, A.D. 2020. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk