Title
Discussion and Possible Action on Recommendations of New Boards
Recommended Action
I move that Council accept staff recommendations for new boards.
County Manager's Recommendation
The County Manager recommends that Council accept staff recommendations for new boards.
Body
There are currently twelve (12) standing Boards, Committees, and Commission (BCCs) and two Ad-hoc committees. In total, those fourteen groups utilize almost 100 community members who volunteer an estimated 250 hours a month in just attending meetings. Generally, the purpose of a board is to serve in an advisory capacity to the County Council, but some have statutory responsibilities as well. All BCCs are listed below:
Art in Public Places
County Health Council
Environmental Sustainability
Historic Preservation Advisory
Labor Management Relations
Library
Lodger’s Tax
Nuisance Code Implementation Review Task Force (one year term)
Parks and Recreation
Personnel
Planning and Zoning Commission
Transportation
Tourism Implementation Task Force (Ad-Hoc)
Board of Public Utilities
Recently, several issues have come up concerning BCCs. Council discussed several items at the August 23, 2022 Work Session and at the January 24, 2023 Regular Session. In January, Council took the following action:
A motion was made by Councilor Cull, seconded by Councilor Ryti, that Council accept staff recommendations except for the following: the bullet on new boards and committees, and the recommendations under the bullet on CDAB, and instead bring back a draft charter for a task force on a continuation of the activities needed under what CDAB was previously doing, and direct the county manager to return with the appropriate items to Council. [Motion passed]
As directed, the charter for the Nuisance Code Implementation Review Task Force was developed and approved by Council in February. Recruitment for Task Force members is underway, and appointment is scheduled for March 28, 2023 Council meeting.
At this time, staff has brought back the “Recommendations for new Boards” topic for further discussion and possible action.
Recommendations for new Boards: Any new board established will require an estimated 150 - 200 hours in staff time per year. In general, staff is not recommending adding additional boards. The primary reasons for this are the current difficulties with board vacancies and impacts on staff time that would take away from service delivery. In addition, we have seen recently that certain activities may not be well suited or served by the B&C structure and process.
• LA Resiliency Energy and Sustainability (LARES) Task Force
The final report of the LARES Task Force contained many recommendations. Three were funded last fiscal year with the Sustainability Manager position created and filled and the Greenhouse Gas study and Climate Action Plan procurement in process. The remaining recommendations now will be the responsibility of the Sustainability Manager. For the LARES Recommendation GR-6 to “Create an on-going body of (largely citizen) collaborative stakeholders to advise Council, Department and Board of Public Utilities, and other relevant County bodies on implementing the goals and strategies recommended in the climate action plan and monitor progress.” The current ESB is focused only on solid waste sustainability while the language in code indicates “environmental sustainability policies, programs, and services.”
Staff Recommendation: It is recommended that the ESB work with the new Sustainability Manager in support of implementing the recommendations of LARES. The charter language would not need to be changed but the Board staff Liaison would be the Sustainability Manager and ESB would then fall under the County Manager’s Office for support. Staff will work with ESB to update their work plan accordingly.
• Racial Equity and Inclusivity (REI) Task Force
REI Task Force’s final report, presented on 8/30/22, had four recommendations for County Council that touched on training, recreational opportunities, and an active body. Specifically, REI Task Force’s Recommendation #1 was to “Develop and implement an active body (board or commission) of community volunteers.”
Staff Recommendation: For the reasons previously noted, a permanent board is not recommended. Staff will, as part of next year’s budget development process, consider implementation of REI training recommendations within appropriate County programs.
• Animal Shelter Ad-Hoc Advisory Committee (ASAAC)
The original recommendations from the ASAAC were delivered in December 2020. Updates to those recommendations were given to Council in November 2021. For this item, the ASAAC’s recommendation is that “A permanent county advisory committee should be established to review shelter policies and procedures and performance.”
Staff Recommendation: Staff have been working on implementing recommendations as appropriate. Chapter 6 of County Code is currently being evaluated for modifications. For the reasons previously noted, no permanent advisory committee is recommended.
Fiscal and Staff Impact/Planned Item
The staff impact for any new board established is an estimated 150 - 200 hours in staff time per year.
Attachments
A - Los Alamos County Resolution 23-01
B - DRAFT Meeting List