More News

The way the city's volunteer boards and commissions operate could be modified to include more public outreach and a change in term lengths as ways to insure the positions stay filled with a variety of qualified applicants.

The workgroup tasked with reviewing the boards and commissions process met for the second time last week to discuss solutions to issues relating to the appointment and reappointment process, length of terms and term limits, among others.

Councilwoman Phyllis R. Marcuccio, who is chairing the task force, said she believes that based on some initial recommendations, the group is headed in the right direction.

"I think we established a lot," Marcuccio said of the meeting. "We did at least establish the very basic things."

The task force was created in November after council members voted 4 to 1 to put a three-term limit on members of boards and commissions as initiated by Marcuccio.

After some council members heard from upset board members who would be affected by the term limit, they decided to suspend the decision on limits and create the task force.

Marcuccio has said she would like to see more people serving on the city's boards and commissions, but that constant reappointments of the same members left little open seats.

One suggestion to address the issue of reappointments is to require that every board member or commissioner reapply for the position when his or her term ends, stating the reasons for wanting to stay on the board or commission.

Current practice allows board members and commissioners to be continually reappointed if they wish. While some volunteers argue that they want to encourage new faces on city commissions, others say the institutional memory of long-serving members is invaluable.

"Just like an election, you don't just automatically let the incumbent go, you give everybody a chance to apply for the job," task force member Joseph McClane said. "It makes the appointment process much more open."

That could eliminate the need for term limits, some say.

"I think we're moving in the direction where we don't have to say there will be term limits on this," said task force member John Moser, who also serves as chair of the Cultural Arts Commission. "Overall, the program has a definite need for modification, whether or not it was term limits. There are too many inequities built into the system."

Organization and streamlining policies and procedures across all boards and commissions was an important change, according to task force members.

The term lengths and appointment practices of each board or commission varies. For example, Human Services Advisory Commission Chairwoman Sarah Duffy said she requires new applicants to attend two meetings before being considered as a member. But Moser said he only requires applicants to attend one meeting.

Task force members discussed streamlining term lengths to three years for almost all boards and commissions. The exceptions include the Planning Commission, in which members are required by state law to serve for five years, and the Board of Supervisors of Elections and the Compensation Commission, both which task force members agreed should parallel the election cycle and may be four-year terms.

Cindy Cotte Griffiths, who serves on the Human Services Advisory Commission, said the process needs to be more systematic and, in turn, would attract more people to serve.

But a focus on recruitment and advertisement of vacancies is also important, she said.

"There are always vacancies and sometimes for long periods of time," Griffiths said.

Marcuccio said she hopes to have final recommendations before the council by April.

The task force's next meeting is scheduled for Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. in City Hall, 111 Maryland Ave.