HomeMy WebLinkAboutResponse To Constituent Letter - Mail Packet - 7/28/2020 - Letter From Mayor Wade Troxell To Energy Board Re: Reimagine Boards And Commissions
Mayor
City Hall
300 LaPorte Ave.
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.416.2154
970.224.6107 - fax
fcgov.com
July 23, 2020
Amanda Shores, Chairperson
Energy Board
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
Dear Board Members,
Thank you for the memorandum dated July 14, 2020 regarding recent disruptions to Boards &
Commissions Meetings and the impact on Energy Board activities during this pandemic. Thank
you for outlining your thoughts regarding reimagining Boards and Commissions with a keen eye
toward diversity and inclusiveness. As you know, this is a high priority for City Council and
staff, and your specific comments are very welcome.
City Council has scheduled a Work Session to discuss this matter on August 11, and I encourage
each board member to view the proceedings via fcgov.com that evening. Remote login options
will be posted the Thursday prior to the meeting at www.fcgov.com/cityclerk/agendas.php.
Thank you again for writing and your strong desire to serve our community and involve even
more residents as well.
Sincerely,
Wade Troxell
Mayor
/sek
cc: Darin Atteberry, City Manager
City Councilmembers
John Phelan, Energy Services Senior Manager
Elizabeth Blythe, Senior Coordinator, Public Engagement
Utilities – Energy Board
700 Wood St.
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.221.6702
970.416.2208 - fax
fcgov.com
M E M O R A N D U M
DATE: July 14, 2020
TO: Mayor Troxell and City Councilmembers
FROM: Amanda Shores, Energy Board Chairperson
RE: Recent Disruptions to Boards & Commissions Meeting
Recent Interruption of Board Activities:
We have been concerned about the suspension of Energy Board meetings over the last
three months due to the pandemic. Important energy-related activities have been
occurring during that time period that required Energy Board attention and
consideration. We were unable to be involved. The process of reimagining boards, not
being able to bring on new members (which thankfully has ended), and not meeting for
three months has reduced the current effectiveness of the Board and
diminished morale. However, the Energy Board serves an important service to the City
to help ensure we are meeting our goals of climate mitigation, energy reliability,
and energy affordability. It is essential that workable videoconferencing solutions are
established to avoid likely pandemic-related interruptions of Energy Board activities in
the future.
Reimagining the Boards and Diversity and Inclusiveness:
Whichever way boards and commissions are reimagined, a vital issue is diversification
and inclusion of gender, race, income status, background, etc. Inherent demographic
limitations represent a historic challenge in fostering diversity and inclusiveness on the
Board. Desire to service on a board often arises from previous experience in some area
of environmental or social advocacy related to the function of the board. Participation by
people of color or low-income groups in such advocacy activity tends to be limited –
resulting in a limited pool of potential applicants. Recruitment from these income or
racial groups seems particularly challenging. One thing that could
make board participation more practical for people with children is to take advantage of
teleconferencing as a routine alternative to in-person meetings and provide vouchers for
childcare.
DocuSign Envelope ID: 85A83F65-1102-4914-B00A-B6727D71A1CA
Messaging Around the Board
It is essential to get across the message that serving on a board or commission
does not require deep technical expertise in that realm. It does require a genuine
interest in the board activities and how they serve the city council and the public.
Antidotally, many potential applicants, especially women, are intimidated by the
technical aspects of board activities. This could be mitigated by better defining
what is expected of active board members in terms of expertise. The term
“energy” can be off putting to some demographics and so perhaps a simple
name change could suffice in changing the perception of the Board.
Publicizing the Board
There is a problem with publicizing roles on the Board such that only certain
types of people apply for positions. It is recommended that a more strategic
outreach plan for inclusivity on Boards, including better social media outreach
and outreach to organizations that represent historically underrepresented
people, would help begin to address this issue.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the Energy Board,
__________________________
Amanda Shores, Chairperson
Energy Board
cc: John Phelan, Energy Services Senior Manager
DocuSign Envelope ID: 85A83F65-1102-4914-B00A-B6727D71A1CA