CC_Minutes_2013_0812 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Regular City Council Meeting Monday,August 12,2013 Page 19 Councilmember Laliberte expressed interest in the Subcommittee meeting with the Task Force; noting that it was their intent to meet with each Commission as well, once the survey had been finalized. Chair Grefenberg opined that one result of the preparation of the Uniform Com- mission Code was that it allowed volunteer commissioners to be treated as adults without the authorizing body (City Council) telling them how and when to meet. Based on his initial discussions with Councilmembers Laliberte and McGehee, Chair Grefenberg,he was confident that they both respected the role of volunteers and commissions; however he encouraged action on the Uniform Commission Act by the City Council soon to avoid his concerns that the fifteen (15) people in- volved in the Civic Engagement Task Force not give up expecting any results from their time and work on those initiatives. Councilmember Laliberte respected the time and efforts expended, and her desire to get that back on track. Related to addressing the level of City support, Councilmember Laliberte ex- pressed her hope that with recent discussions and changes in the City's Admin- istration Department and focus on communications, there would be a possible li- aison staff support person to work with on civic engagement efforts and with the HRC, which would be one of her personal suggestions. Regarding the Civic Engagement Task Force, Councilmember Willmus noted his support last fall when the City Council initially discussed it, for a stand-alone commission; and advised that he continued to support that from his perspective. Councilmember Willmus noted that the creation of the Subcommittee of Coun- cilmembers McGehee and Laliberte was a direct result of that initial discussion of last fall to review all City Council advisory commissions and their current charges and how and if they should be tasked differently. Councilmember Willmus agreed that their work needed to be wrapped up and brought back to the City Council as a whole; but reiterated his continued support for a stand-alone Com- mission on Civic Engagement. Specific to the work of the HRC and their activities over the last year, Coun- cilmember Willmus supported extending their collaboration with other agencies and school districts beyond the essay contest, such as involving other ethnic or minority groups or clubs at those schools, and questioned what the HRC was do- ing with respect to that. Chair Grefenberg advised that, with the addition of experienced youth commis- sioners, they brought forward issues and concerns from the high school level, and allow development of ways to solicit information and involve others in that mis- sion. Chair Grefenberg noted that this involved youth commissioners working di-