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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20 - City Council CommitteesNewport Beach City Council AGENDA ITEM 20 September 28, 1998 Council Meeting TO: ,MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL FROM: DENNIS DANNER, ACTING CITY MANAGER BY: DAVE KIFF, ASSISTANT TO THE CITY MANAGER SUBJECT: CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEES ISSUE: Should the City Council reinstate one or more of the City Council committees that it disbanded in May 1998? BACKGROUND & DISCUSSION The City of Newport Beach has several matters of importance to the community. mechanisms to advise the City Council on They include: • Boards and Commissions (SIX) — Board of Library Trustees, Building Code Board of Appeals, City Arts Commission, Civil Service Board, Parks, Beaches, and Recreation Commission, and Planning Commission. • Council /Citizen Ad Hoc Committees (FIVE) — Aviation Committee, Ad Hoc Committee to Promote Revitalization of the Balboa Peninsula, Economic Development Committee, Advance Newport Center Economic Opportunities Ad Hoc Committee, and City - School Ad Hoc Committee. • Citizens Advisory Committees (THREE) — Environmental Quality Affairs Committee, Harbor Quality Citizens Advisory Committee, and Youth Council. Prior to May 1998, the City also had five Standing City Council Committees. These committees discussed policy issues prior to presentation to the full City Council. The structure of these committees, as defined in the Council Policy Manual (Policy A -9) was as follows: "These (City Council Committees) shall consist only of one or two members of the City Council with the Mayor or in his of her absence the Mayor pro Tem serving as a full participating member. The Mayor annually shall appoint the members and chairperson of City Council committees subject to confirmation by the City Council. City staff shall be assigned to City Council committees by enabling resolution or by request of the committee chairperson to the City Manager" Nothing in the Council's Policy Manual specifically determined the subject matter or the number of City Council Committees. The City Council Committees met at least once each month (unless they were purposefully canceled) and covered the following issue areas: Newport Beach City Council Agenda Item Paae 2 o FINANCE COMMITTEE. The Finance Committee reviewed and monitored events that effect the financial status of the City. The Committee made recommendations to the Council regarding amendments to the budget and as to the adoption of the budget itself. o HARBORS, BEACHES, and PARKS COMMITTEE. The Harbor, Beaches, and Parks Committee reviewed and monitored all events and issues affecting the harbor, beaches, tidelands, and other marine resources within the City. S LEGISLATIvE COMMITTEE. The Legislative Committee reviewed the activities of other agencies that may have affected the operations of the City. The Committee also reviewed all proposed changes to the Council Policy Manual and made recommendations about the Policies to the Council. O PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE. The Public Safety Committee reviewed and monitored service levels, issues, budget, and events that may have affected the operations of the City's police and fire departments. O PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE. The Public Works Committee reviewed and made recommendations to the Council relating to utilities, public works projects, traffic projects and policies, and the water and sewer rate structure. In May 1998, the City Council discussed whether or not to disband the five city council committees. They did so on a 6 -1 vote (Council Member Hedges dissenting). At the time, Council members cited the following reasons for disbanding the Committees: • Council Committee meetings were poorly attended by residents; • Preparing Committee agendas and satisfying Brown Act requirements added to City staffs time associated with the meetings; • The frequency of Council Committee meetings typically added to an already difficult schedule for council members, especially that of the mayor given his or her membership on all five committees; and • Council members routinely discussed the same matters that had been addressed in Committee meetings during City Council meetings, making the Committees' role less meaningful; At the September 14, 1998 meeting of the City Council, Mayor Tom Edwards asked that the Council revisit its May decision and consider whether some or all of the Committees should be reinstated. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Select one of the following alternatives: 1) Receive and File this Report; or 2) Direct staff to return to the Council with a resolution that reinstates individual City Council Committees that shall address the following subject areas: