Response to 2025 Board Commission Survey

Response to 2025 Board & Commission Member Survey 
 
Question 3 
Do you feel your contributions and opinions are valued by the board/commission? Please explain. 
 
I don’t think this board has much authority; it seems like a review board with no authority of its own. 
• The authority of boards and commissions is to make recommendations to the Council, then the 
Council will take that into advisement. 
 
Question 4 
Are board/commission meetings well-organized and productive? Please explain. 
 
Follow up on some commissioner requests result in a simplified response that does not adequately 
address the request or the request is denied. 
• Reference the Member Handbook, which explanans procedures and responsibilities of a 
commission member. Some requests may fall under the purview of the Council and not a board or 
commission. 
 
I wish there was a virtual option to participate remotely. 
• Meetings should be attended in-person, however, there may be an exception based on whether a 
quorum is needed. 
 
Question 6 
Do you feel you have received adequate training and orientation to effectively fulfill your role? 
 
I don’t have a clear understanding of the process of recommending items to be considered. 
• During the, “Commission members comments and suggestions” item, that occurs towards the 
end of each meeting, would be the time to request an item be added to a future agenda for further 
discussion, if it’s under the board/commission’s purview.  
Is there a procedure on how to conduct a meeting? 
• Within the Member Handbook, there is a section explaining Parliamentary Procedures. That 
explains terms, and the basic process followed, similar to Robert’s Rules of Order.  
 
Question 8 
Do you feel your contributions are valued and make a meaningful impact on decisions? 
 
With one meeting annually, I don’t feel like my input has much impact. 
• Liaisons should be clear with the schedule of each board/commission. There are a few groups that 
meet once a year or on an as-needed basis. Additional information is also available on the City’s 
website.

Question 9 
What challenges, if any, have you faced in participating effectively on the board/commission? 
 
Some of the terms and verbiage or acronyms used when explaining a project or procedure are complex. It 
should be simplified for the average person. 
• The staff liaison should provide a list of commonly used acronyms to their board/commission 
members and it should be part of the board/commission’s on-boarding process. 
 
A commission serves to review routine annual staff reports that often do not get posted on a City Council 
agenda. 
• Details of an item are often included within the Council Action Report of an item posted on the 
Council agenda. 
 
Not enough detail is shared with commissioners to adequately analyze and provide reasonable feedback 
on a topic or issue. 
• Staff liaisons should provide a packet on items that will require discussion and/or action, similar 
to Council Action Reports. 
 
A board/commission makes a decision, but the rules are changed. 
• Each board/commission is advisory to the City Council. Their recommendations are taken under 
advisement but the City Council has the authority to make any final decisions. 
 
Question 10 
What improvements would you suggest to enhance the experience of serving on a board or commission? 
 
Improve the induction and onboarding process. 
• The induction takes place during a City Council meeting where members are sworn in by the 
Mayor at the beginning of each term. New members are given a New Member Handbook, which 
they are expected to review. Any questions that arise during the members’ term should be directed 
to the board/commission chair or the staff liaison.  
 
A new member packet of information would be helpful. 
• Each new member will receive a New Member Handbook provided by the City Clerk’s Office either 
in-person, if they attend the swearing-in ceremony, or it will be mailed to the member. 
 
The staff liaison should reach out to board/commission members when a meeting cannot be held due to 
a lack of quorum. 
• This is a staff liaison responsibility to keep members informed, even when a meeting is vacated at 
the last minute.

Specialist in their field should consider who their audience is. Presentations should be made in simpler 
terms or a better explanation provided. 
• Members should ask questions during the meeting. Do not feel like you can’t ask any questions, 
especially if the item requires action. Often times, others may have the same question but may be 
too shy to say anything and it would be a missed opportunity for everyone. 
 
Would there be any benefit to provide an annual report to the City Council? 
• Each board/commission may submit a brief written report at the end of the calendar year 
(December). It would be distributed to the GSC then possibly to all of Council.  
 
Quarterly executive sessions could be used to discuss issues, training purposes, etc. 
• Executive sessions may only be held in certain instances, otherwise, all discussion, trainings, etc., 
should be public. The staff liaison should contact the City Attorney’s Office to determine whether 
a topic should be discussed within an executive session. Specific verbiage would need to be 
provided on the posted agenda for the item. 
 
The commission’s decision should be the final answer. 
• Each board/commission is advisory to the City Council. Their recommendations are taken under 
advisement but the City Council has the authority to make any final decisions. 
 
A board/commission may be struggling to obtain a quorum and meetings cannot be held. 
• Each board/commission has enough members to obtain a quorum to hold a meeting. Information 
is available on the City Clerk’s website as well as within each Councilmember’s newsletters on 
how to apply to become a board/commission member. When a vacancy arises, all efforts are 
made to fill that vacancy to ensure business can continue. 
 
Question 12 
Do you have any comments or feedback regarding your service? 
 
New members may not know the meeting frequency of the board/commission. 
• Upon becoming a new member, the staff liaison should contact the member and complete their 
own on-boarding process. This should specifically highlight the meeting frequency and 
board/commission specific related training that may be necessary.