19 - Laserfiche WebLink

As included among the City Council's priorities in its FY 2021/22 - FY2022/23 Work Plan, an overview of the current commission and committee structure was presented to the City Council on February 7, 2023, with an initial recommendation intended to better align with the City's organizational structure, streamline opportunities for community input and engagement, and increase efficiency for commission and committee members as well as supporting staff members. At that meeting, the City Council voted to create an ad-hoc Council subcommittee (Arkin, Balch) to discuss options and bring recommendations forward for consideration. DISCUSSION Over the course of several meetings, the Council subcommittee reviewed and discussed multiple options for consolidation and developed the following recommendations: 1. Eliminate Housing Commission and have the Planning Commission assume the responsibilities of the Housing Commission 2. Combine the Human Services and Library Commissions 3. Combine the Civic Arts and Parks and Recreation Commissions 4. Retain the Youth Commission and modify membership to youth only 5. Convert the Committee on Energy and the Environment to a Commission 6. Reduce the number of members on, and frequency of the meetings for, the Bicycle, Pedestrian, Trails and Economic Vitality Committees. This proposed structure would reduce the number of commissions from seven to five, and the number of committees from three to two. This reduction would create a standard structure for commission and committee membership, and increase staff efficiency by reducing the number of meetings and meeting preparation time while also ensuring that each commission has a sufficient workload that is meaningful toward advising the City Council. For the recommended combinations, commissioner impact on the community would be enhanced, as each member would have a broader knowledge and deeper connection with public services to share with their community networks. Proposed New Commission Structure Planning Commission (Eliminate Housing Commission) • Planning Commission to assume Housing Commission responsibilities • Maintain 6 members • Meet twice per month The Housing Commission was created to provide oversight for Kottinger Place (now redeveloped into Kottinger Gardens) and Ridgeview Commons. Both senior housing properties are now managed by non-profit affordable housing developers and are subject to the regulations of the California Lower Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program, with monitoring of these projects provided by the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (TCAC). As a result, the oversight role previously taken by the Page 5 of 12