HomeMy WebLinkAboutRecruitmnt-Appntmnt of Cmte and Cmsn MembersCITY OF PALM DESERT
CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE
INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Palm Desert City Council
From: Lauri Aylaian, City Manager
Date: October 15, 2019
Subject: Process for Recruitment and Appointment of Committee and
Commission Members
One of the City Manager goals for the 2019 calendar year is to optimize the scoping and
tasking of the City's 17 committees and commissions. The City Council has also voiced
a desire to revisit the procedures by which individuals apply for and are appointed to
these various advisory bodies. Our work to date on this matter indicates that, in
addition to simply fine-tuning the current processes, there are myriad other approaches
that the Council may want to consider for this important undertaking. Issues to consider
are as varied as whether there should be term limits on appointments, to who should
conduct the interviews and recommend the appointments, to whether any of the current
committees could be consolidated or if new ones are needed.
In order to allow the City Council the opportunity for meaningful consideration, staff
recommends a 1-1/2 hour study session, before which a series of open-ended
questions will be distributed to give Councilmembers entree to possibilities and best
practices from other communities. Unfortunately, scheduling time for this study session
is proving problematic, given the Council's full plate of other time -critical issues and the
upcoming holiday season.
If the City Council so directs, staff will proceed as currently planned, with the goal of
studying, identifying, and implementing revised procedures in advance of the applicant
interviews tentatively scheduled for the third week in December. However, a viable
alternative would be to take this opportunity to realign appointments so that they are
made in late spring, effective at the start of the fiscal year. This would allow additional
time for study of possible re -shaping of the application and appointment processes, and
for scheduling interviews in spring when there will be fewer conflicts with holidays and
other personal and municipal commitments. If the Council would like to take the latter
approach, the terms of the existing appointees can be extended for six months, with
explanatory letters being sent to those individuals who currently have applications on
file.
Mayor and Members of the Palm Desert City Council
Page 2
October 15, 2019
Your guidance and direction on this matter is respectfully requested.
LAURI AYLAIAN
CITY MANAGER
LA/de