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Regular City Council Meeting Monday, February 13,2017 Page 6 Ayes: Willmus, Laliberte, Etten, McGehee and Roe. Nays: None. C. Receive Update from City Council Sub-Committee on Commissions Speaking on behalf of Mayor Roe and herself serving as the subcommittee, Coun- cilmember Laliberte provided an update based on seven different meetings she and Mayor Roe held with fourteen various past and present commissioners on the Community Engagement Commission (CEC) and Human Rights Commission (HRC). Councilmember Laliberte noted that both commissions had very passion- ate commissioners on board who were very committed; and all agreed that more work could be accomplished with more people. Councilmember Laliberte ad- vised that both commissions were very interested in working on today's commu- nity needs, as well as in receiving more direction for that work. Councilmember Laliberte reported that the CEC felt good about their present work and felt they were a blank slate now, but expressed concern that past agen- das may have jaded their current efforts, Councilmember Laliberte noted that it had been identified and had come through loud and clear that the City Council's original effort in creating the CEC with a hands-off approach to allow them to make the commission their own, had failed to provide clear expectations. Councilmember Laliberte reported that both commissions had been asked to look at their current code and scope of duties and charge, while also working on their proposals for their future work as stand-alone commissions or if combined. Councilmember Laliberte reported that the HRC was appreciative of the addition- al commissioners now on board; with several comments from them that they felt they"did their own thing"without feeling connected to other city organizations or advisory groups, or to the City Council itself. With common themes heard from and among both commissions, and great feed- back from them, Councilmember Laliberte noted their intersecting goals,and points of connection and/or crossover. Councilmember Laliberte noted that a suggestion from the commissions had been their interest with the City Council Subcommittee on Commissions remaining in place to allow guidance for further direction or for initial refinement of recommendations and reporting before com- ing directly to the full City Council. In conclusion, Councilmember Laliberte suggested that it had been obvious that the city needed to make more effective use of both commissions; and recom- mended that the subcommittee be directed to further study a better balance for the advisory efforts of both the HRC and CEC. Mayor Roe agreed with Councilmember Laliberte's summary, noting especially the positive feeling among CEC commissioners about where they were at current-