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�� � REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION Department Approval Item Description: Consider Uniform Code for Commissions BACKGROUND Date: December 3, 2012 Item No.: 13.a City Manager Approval Roseville currently has six standing commissions. Each of the commissions was established at different times in response to different needs of the community. As a result, commissions have been established in a piecemeal fashion and are not consistent. Staff looked to other cities to see how commissions are organized. Staff found that many cities have a uniform code ordinance to establish boards and commissions followed by ordinances addressing specific needs of a specific commission. Staff reviewed language establishing commissions and found many common themes and structures. Using the common language, staff developed a uniform code to establish boards and commissions. This includes Establishment; Purpose; Membership; Terms; Compensation; Organization; Meetings and Reports; Rules and Bylaws. In April 2012, staff presented a draft of the uniform code which had been written after getting input from Commission liaisons to the City CounciL The Council provided feedback and directed staff to consult with individual commissions to review the proposed changes. City Manager Bill Malinen and Communications Specialist Carolyn Curti met with commission chairs to review the proposed uniform code and discuss possible changes to the commission codes on which they serve. Chairs consistently spoke in favor of establishing a uniform code. Several offered suggestions to improve the code, and staff worked with commission chairs to incorporate language that addressed their specific concerns. Several chairs noted that in addition to adding the uniform code, it may be time for commissions to individually review the code specific to their commission and update, if needed. When meeting with Commission chairs, we identified several policy questions which we ask the City Council to address. Line 71 of the proposed code, states that a commissioner may be removed without cause. Several commission codes are silent on this provision, and the Human Rights Commission and the Planning Commission require a supermajority to remove a commissioner. We ask for guidance on whether a commissioner could be removed without cause, or if the commissioner could only be removed with cause. Several chairs expressed concern that a council could remove commissioner(s) for political, rather than policy/procedural reasons. This leaves the question of the definition of "with cause." Possible reasons for "with cause" could be poor Page 1 of 3