HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-87
RESOLUTION NO. 09 - CO 7
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A RESOLUTION of the City Council of the
City of Port Angeles amending the
Council's Rules of Procedure by
adding a selection process for filling
board and commission vacancies.
WHEREAS, on February l7, 1981, the City Council adoptee
a written selection process for filling board and commission
vacancies, which process included provision for casting written
ballots to select a candidate to fill the vacant position; and
WHEREAS, the Open Public Meetings Act is silent on the
question of whether or not the Council can make such appointments
by written ballot; and
WHEREAS, the present procedure should be clarified and
revised to provide that names of applicants should be kept on
public file and that the appointee of the Mayor will be confirmec
by voice or hand vote of the Council;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF
THE CITY OF PORT ANGELES, WASHINGTON, as follows:
Section L The Council Rules of Procedure, as adopted
by Resolution No. 13-86, are hereby amended by adding a section
to consist of the following:
In filling board and commission vacancies, the City
Council instructs the City Manager to set in motion the followinc
continuous application process for positions on advisory boards
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and commissions:
A. Identify desirable candidate qualifications for advis-
ory boards and commissions in general (e.g., City residency) and
for specific board/commission positions.
B. Solicit in bi-month1y CITY REPORT volunteers who wish
to serve on non-compensated advisory boards and commissions.
C. Mail application form (standard) and specific informa-
tion as to functions of preferred board or commission to citizen
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who responded by having returned "interest post card insert" to
City.
D. Submit formal application forms and questionnaires to
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Council for review and interview scheduling.
E. Candidates are interviewed in open public session (can-
didates who have not been interviewed as yet are to be excluded
from public but may join and remain after their own interview has
been completed). Members of the Council may rank applicants on
evaluation scale. Manager keeps evaluations on. file.
F. If a vacancy occurs, the Mayor immediately appoints a
candidate to the vacant position from the list of interviewed an
evaluated applicants.
G. At its next regular session, Council will consider a
motion to confirm Mayor's appointment by voice or hand vote.
H. The City Manager will be directed to provide written
notice of appointment and confirmation and provide introduction
to Chairperson of respective board/commission and provide intro-
ductory and educational information to the newly appointed and
confirmed member of the board/commission.
PASSED by the City Council of the City of Port Angeles,
Washington, at a regular meeting of the council held on the 7th
day of April, 1987.
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A'1'TEST:
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Sperri L: Anderson, City Clerk
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APPROV' "AS TO
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City Attorney
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Draft 3/31/87
MEM)RANDUM
10: Members of City COllllcil If / ~
FRCM: Werner C. Quast, Member.of counci{f1.~'
SUBJB:."I': Rules. of Procedure for Filling Board and Carrnission Vacancies
DATE: March 31, 1987
It might be of interest to give a historical revieH of past council practices
to fill vancancies on advisory boards and/or carmissions. Before I carre on the
Council there were no apparent open and public solicitations for volunteers
fran our citizens to serve on these advisory positions. It appeared that the
mayor appointed individuals either kna-m to him or to members of council. There
were indications that sane candidates were discussed in the so-called "work-
sessions IT which then preceded each council meeting and were conducted in the
m:mager's office without presence of the press. ( It is of interest to note
that the DAILY NEWS knew of these illegal secret sessions but chose not to
send a reporter nor to inform the public of these sessions which were in clear
violation of the Open Mentings Act).
In the beginning of 1980, with newly elected members on the Council, these pre-
council sessions were discontinued. Attempts to include non-executi ve session
items in the post-council executive sessions were discouraged by the new coun-
ci1rrembers who walked out and reminded council that a $ 100. - fine per person
and per offense could result.
Early in 1981, as part of the new members I attempts to IMke a rrore open city
government, council's appointment practices of members to advisory boards and
carmissions were instituted. The present resolution of February 1981 was the
result. It was designed to relinquish the ' old toy sys1n' practices and replace
it with procedures that assured the widest participation of all citizens in
the governance of the city.
It should be pointed out that there is no state statute which requires this wide-
open volunteer solicitation process. The Open Meetings Act is also silent on the
question of hew to ballot for each appointment to an advisory board.
section 3 (c) in our present Resolution was the key to opening up the selection
process. It states:" Notification of vacancy to appear at least twice weekly
for two consecutive weeks in the DAILY NEWS and two consecutive issues of the
CHRa'{[CLE~' .
Unfortunately, these ads did not always produce the desired volunteer response.
Ads had to be run longer than two weeks and members of council had to go forth
and' beat the bushes' arrong their acquaintances. At first members of council
thought that the reluctance to serve on advisory boards was based upon the mistaken
belief by the public that rrembers wvuld have to carrply with the Public Disclosure
Act (especially since the County Ccmnissioners had instituted an county disclosure
law for m:rnbers serving on advisory county boards and cam1.i.ssions.) Also Council
felt that an open voting procedure to elect candidates for vacant positions might
further discourage persons fran volunteering. For that reason the 1981 Resolution
stipulated (lawfully!) the written ballot. Nobcrly had to 'loose face' after having
survived the interview process. It is of interest to note that the press has ,
to my knCMledge, never attended the interview sessions which usually precede the
regular Council Meetings. I believe, hCMever, that a representative of the ~rnrCLE
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page 2 - MEMJ to COOOCn..
was present when Council interviewed seventeen candidates who applied for the
vacant council position. If the press is really interested in open government
it should rePJrt on these interviews as it is here where the qualifications of
applicants for these ~onsuming, uncanpensated position on advisory lx>ards
becare evident. It then can check whether Council apPJints the best applicants
or appoints 'buddies', I cronies', and other 'inside-track' people who might have
been 'planted I arrong the applicants.
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I believe that the present caTlpOsi tion of our boards and carmissions is proof
of the fact that this selection process has worked. That Council's intent to
'balance' the representation on these advisory boards so as to reflect a wide
spectnnn of the carmuni ty interests has been a goc.d one. '!he new' policy, patterned
after that of Council's tenure, to lirni t each advisory bJard merrber to two
consecutive four-year terms, appears to be a gocd one~ It leaves enough expertise
on each board while guarantying new ideas and new energies flCMing into these
volunteer boards and ccrrmissions. Eight years of nax:i.mum service is all one
ought to expect fran elected. and appointed city officials.
I do not wish to return to the 'old boy system I and I do believe that the present
system is a wide-open and beneficial one. However, even this approach can be im-
proved upon. I believe that the City I S new publication CITY REPORI' is a much
better vehicle to encourage citizens to volunteer their services in behalf of the
city. The CITY REPORt' ought to have a heavy paper insert (page) on which the
functions of each advisory board and carroission are outl:i11ed. A pre-addressed
p:>stcard (similar to "We're all ears!") will be used to list each board and carmission
and ask~:-: citizens to volunteer for one or rrore of their choice (marked by 1,2 and
3 preference). Citizens who return postcard will be sent an application fom which
should be filled in an returned to the city. '!hus the city will have a continuous
listing of individuals willing to serve. Interviews before Council can be scheduled
on a regular basis and evaluations can be rrade by rrenbers of the cOW1cil. If a
vacancy should occur on an advisory b:>a.rd and/or carmission the mayor can then
appoint one of the candidates fran the list of applicants who had been interviewed
and evaluated by council. The rrayor' s app:Jintee ~ shall be confirmed at the
next regular session of Council. Thus a vacant p::lsition is being filled imnediately.
'Ihis process will guarantee the continued wide open application and selection
process, it will assure tlHt a constant file and list of citizen5willing to
volunteer is being maintained, it will save taxpayers' rronies as it will no longer be
necessary to run repeatedly expensive block ads in the newspapers, it will assure
that all citizens who are residents of this city will receive the notification via
the CITY REPORI' and not just those who subscribe to newspapers and, most of all,
it will be carpletely legal and within the codes of the State of Washington.
I am attaching a proposed RESQIUrICN which incorporates the above suggestions for
your consideration.
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