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5.6. SR 11-23-1998ity of · ,lver MEMORANDUM Item 5.6. TO: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: Mayor & City Council Pat Klaers, City Administrator November 23, 1998 Board and Commission Terms The issue before the City Council, besides a general update, is for the Council to decide when to interview applicants and when to make appointments to the boards and commissions. City Clerk Sandra Peine has a memo attached regarding terms which expire at the end of the year for various members serving on city boards and commissions. In addition to the list in Sandy's memo, please note that we have recently received the resignation of Linda Ritchie from the Library Board (term expires at the end of 1999) as she has recently been elected to the School Board. It should be noted that in January 1993, when the City Council had three new members (Mayor Duitsman and Councilmembers Farber and Scheel) that all the city appointments were made in January for calendar year 1993. Prior to 1993 there were a number of years when appointments to city commissions and boards were made in December for the following year. However, it should be noted that most of these appointments were actually reappointments of existing members. Since January of 1993, all of the appointments to city boards and commissions have been made in January with the exception of the HRA in December 1995, (appointment made by the Mayor with City Council concurrence) and the November 1997 reappointments to the Planning Commission and Park and Recreation Commission for three year terms beginning in 1998. There is nothing stated in the city ordinances or in the commission and board pohcy regarding when appointments are to be made. There are two different philosophies regarding appointments, the first of which is that the appointments should be made before the end of the year so that the full commission or board can be available and present at the first meeting of the 13065 Orono Parkway · P.O. Box 490 · Elk River, MN 55330 · TDD & Phone: (612) 441-7420 · Fax: (612) 441-7425 year in January. The other approach to appointments is that interviews and appointments should be made in January by the newly elected City Council and that an outgoing Council should not make these decisions. In addition to the boards and commissions identified in the city clerk's memo, it should be noted that Councilmember Holmgren is the city representative on the Community Recreation Board and that Mayor Duitsman is the city representative on the Northstar Corridor Authority and on the Regional Transportation Board. Nothing is stated that the city representatives on these agencies need to be a city councilmember, but it may be good policy to have the city representative on these boards be a sitting member of the Council. By having the city representative be a councilmember, it may lend more credibility to the input they provide at their board or commission level. The Council should note that Cecilia Scheel was before the Council in August to request that the City Council consider a policy whereby only Elk River residents could be appointed to city boards and commissions. Cecilia requested that she be notified when the City Council discusses this issue and this notification has not happened for this November 23 meeting. Accordingly, the only discussion that should take place on this issue is when you would like to discuss this topic so that we may notify Ms. Scheel. The City Clerk has done a little bit of research on this topic and some preliminary information is attached for your review. ity of MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Sandra Peine, City Clerk DATE: November 23, 1998 SUBJECT: Board and Commission Terms Listed below are board and commission terms that will expire on December 31, 1998. A letter has been sent to those names listed below requesting them to contact the city if they are interested in reappointment. The City's policy requires board and commission vacancies to be advertised. This does not preclude the existing board and commission members whose terms are expiring from reapplying for the positions. Keep in mind that the Council also has the authority to reappoint without holding interviews if it so desires. Interviews will be scheduled sometime in December and appointments made during the first meeting in January. The following applications are currently on file: 1 - Planning Commission (with HRA as second choice) 2 - Library Board I - Park and Recreation (plus 3 on file who were recently interviewed by the Council) An advertisement requesting applications for boards and commissions has been placed in the Star News. 13065 Orono Parkway · P.O. Box 490 · Elk River, MN 55330 · TDD & Phone: (612) 441-7420 · Fax: (612) 441-7425 NAME POSITION REAPPOINTMENT # OF YRS. REQUESTED Louise Kuester Planning Comm no response 6 yrs Joseph Schuster Planning Comm YES 10 months Lana Huberty Park and Rec YES 3 ½ yrs Dana Anderson Park and Rec YES 8 yrs i iii iii Elly Kretsch Library Bd NO 4 Yrs Eleanor Holm Library Bd YES 3 yrs Jim Tralle Utilities Corem YES 12 yrs i i Larry Toth HRA- (Mayoral ....... 1 yr A~t.) Dale Martin Ice Arena (Hockey) no response 2 yrs Thomas Kupka Ice Arena (Public) no response 2 yrs RECOMMENDED ACTION Decide which, if any, positions the Council would like to reappoint prior to the interview process. Following that decision, the City Clerk will coordinate interviews for the remaining positions. \\elkriver\sys\shrdoc\council\bdcomm.doc ity of River MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Sandra Peine, City Clerk DATE: November 23, 1998 SUBJECT: Board and Commission Residency Issue On August 24, the City Council reviewed a petition from Cecilia Scheel requesting that the City of Elk River not allow nonresidents to serve on any commission or board of the city. The Council took no action at that time but requested the issue to be brought back for discussion prior to making appointments to boards and commissions at the beginning of the new year. Boards and commission rules are set by city ordinance, by-laws and/or state statute. The City Ordinance addresses residency in the following commissions: · Utilities Commission: Residency is not a qualification according to the City Ordinance · Ice Arena Commission: Allows for non-residents to be members of the commission · Park and Recreation Commission: Allows for 2 non-resident members to be on the commission · Planning Commission: Not addressed in the City Ordinance · Library Board: Not addressed in the By-laws or City Ordinance · EDA: Not addressed in the By-laws or City Ordinance · HRA: Not addressed in the By-laws or City Ordinance \\elkriver\sys\shrdoc\council\residenc.doc 13065 Orono Parkway · P.O. Box 490 · Elk River, MN 55330 · TDD & Phone: (612) 441-7420 · Fax: (612) 441-7425