June 21, 2005

SUBJECT:      BOARD AND COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS FOR 2005 PHASE I SPRING RECRUITMENT 

REPORT IN BRIEF

On June 8 and 15, 2005, staff scheduled19 applicants for Council interviews to fill 22 vacancies on City Board and Commissions.  Please note that Amrit Verma, Judi Nickey, Robert Kinder and Richard Oliver applied for multiple Boards/Commissions.  On June 8, Judi Nickey requested that her applications for Arts Commission and Board of Library Trustees be withdrawn.  

On May 27, 2005 Mr. Wang indicated to staff that he would be on vacation and could not interview on June 8^th.  Mr. Wang asked that his application still be considered for the Parks & Recreation Commission vacancy and provided staff with a copy of his airline reservations. 

On May 27, 2005 Mr. Meyering indicated that he had a previous engagement which could not be rescheduled; however, he wanted to still be considered for the vacancy on the Housing & Human Services Commission.

On June 8, 2005, Ms. Judi Nickey called and informed staff she was ill and could not attend her appointment that evening. As stated above, Ms. Nickey also indicated that she wished to withdraw her application for the Arts Commission and Board of Library Trustees and only wanted to be considered for the vacancy on the Personnel Board.

Staff recommends Council make its appointments from the applicants listed in this report.

The terms for newly appointed Board and Commission members will begin on July 1, 2005.  Staff will follow up with an orientation after each member has taken the Oath of Office and signed the Code of Ethics.

BACKGROUND

Staff conducted a city-wide recruitment March 23 through May 20, 2005 for individuals interested in serving on a City Board or Commission.  Efforts were enhanced by a recruitment video shown on KSUN during the recruitment period, advertising on the City’s web site and press releases.  Staff’s outreach efforts also included advertisements in both the San Jose Mercury and The Sun.  Recruitment letters and flyers were mailed to local service clubs and businesses and posted throughout the City, and an announcement was made at each Council meeting during the recruitment period.

Staff has verified that all of the applicants meet the residency and voter registration requirements, as applicable.

DISCUSSION

According to the City Charter, the Personnel Board is comprised of five members, three of these members are direct Council appointments and two are by nomination of the employees in Classified service. The current vacancies are for two Council-appointed seats. 

Other current vacancies, terms of appointments, and names of candidates are as follows:

The following Boards and Commissions did not receive enough applicants to fill all their vacancies:

Arts Commission - 2 short

Board of Building Code Appeals - 2 short

Heritage Preservation Commission - 2 short

Housing & Human Services Commission - 2 short

There are no quorum issues with the above Boards and Commissions without having all the vacancies filled.  If Council wishes, it can request that staff conduct a limited recruitment to fill these positions, or wait to fill them in the Fall Recruitment. A limited recruitment would entail re-posting a vacancy notice, announcements at City Council meetings, accepting applications until a sufficient number of applications are received, and scheduling interviews.

Per Council Policy 7.2.8, the appointment process is as follows:

“Placed as an agenda item at a City Council meeting, the Mayor will first announce the Board/Commission vacancy and its term, then will read each applicant’s name.  Council will vote on each applicant.  The candidate receiving the most votes, as well as a majority vote, will be appointed.  Should a tie occur, the affected applicants will be voted on again.  If a tie still remains, the Mayor will ask the City Attorney to draw a name of the person to be appointed.  An applicant must receive a majority vote to be appointed.  The process is duplicated for each board and commission.”

FISCAL IMPACT

There is no fiscal impact as a result of this report.

PUBLIC CONTACT

The public was notified of the recruitment for Boards and Commissions applicants via newspaper advertisements, press releases, the City Web Site, flyers, and KSUN.  Public contact was also made during the Public Announcements at City Council Meetings.

ALTERNATIVES

1. Make appointments from the candidates listed above, specifying the terms for each candidate for the Board/Commission that have multiple seats and terms.

2.      Do not make appointments at this time.  Include these vacancies in the 2005 Phase II Fall Recruitment.

3. Request staff to conduct a limited recruitment, as described in the report, to fill the remaining vacancies.

4. Request staff wait until the Fall Recruitment to fill the remaining vacancies.

RECOMMENDATION

Staff recommends Alternatives 1 and 4.

Prepared by:

Linda Rodriguez Todd

Deputy City Clerk

Reviewed by:

Katherine Bradshaw Chappelear

City Clerk

Approved by:

Amy Chan

City Manager