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Chairperson Jeffrey stated it is helpful to see what incumbents feel their committee has <br />accomplished and the direction they are going. He acknowledged Mr. Max's earlier concerns <br />and stated the Personnel Committee has struggled with the issue of board and commission <br />appointments. He stated the primary goal of the Council is to make sure the best person is <br />chosen to serve on any given board or commission and it is critical that the chair and vice chair is <br />included in the Council's decision -making process. He added once the revised policy is in place, <br />it will be important for the Council to have a priorities discussion with each of the boards and <br />commissions to make sure they are moving in the right direction. <br />Mayor Ramsey stated his primary objective in revising the policy was to make sure the new City <br />Council made the appointments. He stated his reasoning also included the idea that if you are an <br />incumbent, you have a significant advantage and most incumbents will get reappointed; on the <br />other hand, he felt there were a lot of people not asking to be on these boards because they felt <br />the incumbent had that advantage so they did not bother to apply for the position. He stated <br />there may be situations where someone other than an incumbent is better suited for the position <br />and he wanted to see a more open and fair process for filling boards and commissions. He added <br />it was never his intention to upset anybody or make them angry. <br />Mr. Max stated it makes sense to adjust the term expiration dates. He added the Environmental <br />Policy Board on which he serves has had a lot of turnover and has not had trouble getting new <br />people on the Board. He stated there also appears to be two different sets of questions that are <br />asked of incumbents and new applicants. <br />Chairperson Jeffrey stated for new people applying for these positions, the Council knows <br />nothing about them and their questions are intended to be broader in nature, e.g., to ask what <br />they feel needs to be changed in the community. He stated the incumbents are asked about their <br />biggest contribution to the board or commission, and he felt that information is more valuable <br />than the broader questions asked of non -incumbents. He noted that interview process is the same <br />and at the end of the day, the Council can make appointments as they see fit based on the match <br />with the goals of a particular board or committee. <br />Councilmember McGlone requested information regarding appointments for new members. <br />Chairperson Jeffrey stated it is proposed that April 1 would be the appointment date and all term <br />expiration dates are proposed to be adjusted to March 31. <br />Mayor Ramsey stated he did not realize the Council is not authorized to extend incumbent <br />board/commission member's terms until such time as they are reappointed. <br />City Attorney Goodrich explained the Ordinance states that the terms are four-year terms and <br />there is currently no vehicle in place to extend terms, short of amending the Ordinance. He <br />added by the time the Ordinance was amended, it would be close to April 1. He stated that a <br />resolution could be adopted by the City Council to accommodate term extensions for those <br />members whose terms expired on December 31, 2008, except for the EDA. <br />Personnel Committee/January 27, 2009 <br />Page 5 of 8 <br />