19 - Laserfiche WebLink

Option Two: Establish a Task Force of Community Members, Outside Experts and City staff. Task forces typically provide assistance for specific projects; exist for an established period of time (e.g., 12 or 24 months); and are given a specific focus or mandate by the City Council. Members are appointed by the Mayor or Council and ratified by the full City Council and support is provided by staff with agendas, reports and minutes. Recent examples of this include the Happy Valley Bypass Road Blue Ribbon Committee, the Bernal Property Task Force(s) and the Pleasanton Energy Committee. The Brown Act would apply to this type of task force. As with a traditional commission structure, meeting frequency and scope of responsibilities would dictate the level of staff support and expertise necessary to support the advisory body. The advantage of a task force is that the depth of representation may provide broader community participation in achieving environmental objectives. A designated time frame for accomplishing objectives issued by the City Council may also provide focus for established outcomes. A variation of the task force option is the standing task force or committee, similar to the Economic Vitality Committee, which is advisory in nature to the City Council and is a standing committee of the City of Pleasanton. The Committee complies with the Brown Act, meets frequently, requires ongoing staff support and includes broad representation from the community, including a mix of residential and business experts. Option Three: Establish a Subcommittee of the City Council and Planning Commission. With this option, two representatives from each body would be solicited, with the Council having the option of expanding membership to include representatives from other standing commissions and committees of the City. The Brown Act would apply to this subcommittee. The benefit of a subcommittee is the option to refer projects and topics to the group on an as-needed basis, as directed by the City Council, City commissions/ committees or staff. In addition, this option does not devote one body to environmental issues, but rather relies on a collection of perspectives from elected officials, appointed commissioners and City staff. ISSUES TO CONSIDER In forming the advisory body, selecting members and establishing work plan objectives, staff recommends that the City Council adhere to the following core objectives: Strive for the broadest possible representation from all sectors of the community: neighborhood groups, business, schools, non-profits and service clubs. This would facilitate input from throughout the community and provide the advisory body with wider visibility throughout the City. 2. Maximize expertise. Staff suggests that the advisory body include members with specific, environment-related areas of expertise. 3. Leverage the City's limited staff resources. Currently, several staff members pursue environmental programs and projects within their regular job functions. While the City Manager will be responsible for assigning a staff liaison to the Page 3 of 4