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Roseville City Council <br />Page 3 of 6 <br />3. Reevaluate the Roles and Res�onsibilities of Existing Commissions. The Public Works and <br />TransportationCommission (5 members) has been in existencefor about 1'/z years. As with any <br />new program or service, it is important to evaluate the purpose, success and need of the Commis- <br />sion. Would this be an appropriatebody to handle all environmental issues? Should at least one <br />Commissioner be required to have a background/demonstrated interest in an environmental re- <br />lated field? Or should the commission be disbanded? <br />The Police Civil Service Commission (3 members) meets periodically to review employment <br />practices of the Police Department to ensure they are fair and reasonable. In 2001 and 2003 the <br />Commission met twice and in 2002 they met five times. Apparently, state law prescribes the <br />limited duties and responsibilities of this Commission. Can the Council expand those responsi- <br />bilities and its membership? Should you? Could those responsibilities be shifted to another <br />group, such as the Human Rights Commission? <br />4. Clarifv the Commission Annointment and Reawointment Process. Resolution9372 de- <br />scribes the procedure to fill vacancies and make reappointments to citizen commissions. Ac- <br />cording to City Attorney Jay Squires (letter dated Feb. 6,2004) "it is appropriate for the Council <br />to follow Resolution 9372 unless the Resolution is modified or suspended by majority vote of the <br />Council." <br />Staff suggests that Resolution 9372 be amended as follows: <br />• Requiring an application and council interview for all new commission appointments; <br />• For reappointments, an application for reappointment would be required but no additional <br />council interview would be held unless three councilmembers make a specific request for <br />an interview of a particular applicant or applicants for reappointment. <br />Reasons: An application should always be required to demonstrate and update the applicant's or <br />commissioner's interest and general background. In addition, the Council should interview all <br />new applicants in person to supplement the written application and to see how they respond to <br />questions. However, sitting commissioners create a record by their years of public service on <br />that commission. Unless three councilmembers specificallyrequest another interview for a sit- <br />ting commissioner, those years of demonstrated volunteer service plus the written applicationfor <br />reappointment would seem to be a sufficient basis for the Council to decide whether to reappoint <br />a sitting commissioner. Finally, given the normal turnover of commissioners due to resignations, <br />decisions not to seek reappointment, or expiration of term limits, there will always be new com- <br />mission seats to fill and applicants to interview for those seats. This year, for example, there are <br />four vacancies. With advertisingwe may receive 8-12 applications for those four vacancies. <br />Scheduling and interviewing 8-12 persons for four vacancies is already a daunting task. Conser- <br />vatively estimated, it will also take up probably 2+ hours of Council time if we allow the usual <br />10-15 minutes per interview. Scheduling and interviewing even more persons — including the six <br />sitting commission volunteers eligible for reappointment who have already demonstrated their <br />approach to group problem-solving through participation in many hours of public commission <br />meetings over several years time — seems burdensome on everyone. Moreover, if a sitting com- <br />missioner's conduct seems questionableto three or more councilmembers, then upon your re- <br />quest we could schedule that specific commissioner for a reinterview. <br />