HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 11/04/2020 - SECOND READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 125, 2020, EXTENDI Agenda Item 2
Item # 2 Page 1
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY November 4, 2020
City Council
STAFF
Elizabeth Blythe, Senior Public Engagement Coordinator
Delynn Coldiron, City Clerk
Ingrid Decker, Legal
SUBJECT
Second Reading of Ordinance No. 125, 2020, Extending Short-Term Appointments to City Boards and
Commissions to December 31, 2021.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This Ordinance, unanimously adopted on First Reading on October 20, 2020, allows 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 Second Reading.
ATTACHMENTS
1. First Reading Agenda Item Summary, October 20, 2020 (w/o attachments) (PDF)
2. Ordinance No. 125, 2020 (PDF)
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.
ATTACHMENT 1
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