City Council Minutes 2016 09 20 - Laserfiche WebLink

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City Council Meeting Minutes September 20, 2016 Page 5 of 11 Councilmember Leh added it would be disrespectful to those board members who have served long and hard, and with distinction, to dismiss them due to an artificial limitation. Councilmember Stolzmann stated her strong support for term limits because it creates broader community engagement. Members of boards serve the Council but also then promote ideas and civic engagement among their friends and neighbors. Members both give ideas to the Council and take information back to the community. Having more members would limit the "echo chamber effect" where we get in a rut and don't take in account different perspectives. Historically, the Council doesn't look at new candidates fully but rather generally reappoints existing members. Councilmember Stolzmann stated that if we don't have term limits the Council should rethink the board application process so new applicants are given full consideration against reapplying members. Councilmember Stolzmann stated technical expertise and continuity comes from City staff not by board members. The role of a board member is to represent what citizens want, not technical expertise. Members can learn new processes and come up to speed and serve on any board. If institutional knowledge is needed, members can look at the record. If people are term limited they can continue to be engaged in the process without being a voting board member. Councilmember Stolzmann stated the Library Board of Trustees would be willing to reduce their terms from five years to three years. Councilmember Loo said all that is required is Council to not reappoint members if there are better applicants. She agreed with Councilmember Leh's comments. Regarding the technical knowledge, she stated boards really do need members with technical experience for the quasi-judicial committees. It takes a long time to really understand the process and the applications. Members who do not understand the details and understand how to apply the criteria may rely too heavily on staff and can rubber stamp items. What we are looking for from boards is an outside perspective on items, not a rubber stamp. She stated each Councilmember should agree to make the hard decision when reappointments come up. Councilmember Maloney stated term limits would help broaden community involvement. He feels members can come up to speed quickly on topics, and getting broader engagement from residents would be a great boon. Many people don't apply to boards because they see everyone reappointed each year. He stated the Golf Course Advisory Board supports term limits. Councilmember Loo stated in her five years she has seen some commissions on which everyone wants to serve and they get many more applicants than needed. Other boards frequently have vacancies that cannot be filled. Term limits would make it even harder to fill those positions.