Resolution amending open appointment policy for committees and commissions
To approve resolution 26-69 amending resolution 15-05, open appointment policy for committees and commissions.
The city is incredibly fortunate to have residents who are actively engaged in the community, whether that is through a community organization or one of our advisory boards. In fact, over the past several years, the city has seen an increased number of applications for our advisory boards. More and more residents are wanting to engage with the city, but can't due to limited openings.
The city's advisory boards include four commissions (economic development, human rights, parks and recreation, and planning) and three committees (bikeways and trails, environmental quality, and public safety). Commissions are created by ordinance to provide ongoing input in major policy areas. Whereas, committees are created through resolution to provide input in specific areas. We also have the economic development authority and Snail Lake Improvement District Board.
Recognizing the importance of an engaged community, the city's strategic goals or priorities have included an effort to cultivate future leaders from our advisory boards for a number of years. Part of this goal is to ensure our boards have a membership that balances the experience and institutional knowledge of active, long-term members while still providing opportunities for new perspectives. In 2021, the city sent a letter to all advisory board members notifying them of this goal and asking them to keep it in mind when considering reappointment.
The city council reviewed our current structure and open appointment policy at the April 20 and August 17 workshop meetings. Based on those discussions, the city council is now being asked to approve a resolution amending the open appointment policy.
Please note that this information does not include the Snail Lake Improvement District Board since membership requirements for that board are different and require members to live within the Snail Lake improvement district.
In 2015, the city council approved the city's current open appointment policy. Per the attached policy, members may be reappointed to an advisory board an indefinite amount of times. The only exceptions are for the economic development authority and planning commission. Any member who has served one full term (six years) on the EDA or two full terms (six years) on the planning commission needs to reapply in order to be considered for reappointment. Their applications are then considered along with any new applicants and interviewed by the city council. Please note that State Statute 469.095, subdivision 2(b) requires the city to have six year terms on the economic development authority board.
The policy also outlines general guidelines such as where and how long to advertise and the appointment process. The typical schedule is below:
Membership information
The city currently has 71 volunteers serving on eight advisory boards. Of these members:
A list of the current members along with their appointment and term expiration dates is attached. Demographic data is also attached for review.
Below is data showing the number of members who didn't seek reappointment or resigned mid-term, as well as the number of applications received. As you can see, many of the members had served two terms or less. Additionally, the number of applications received exceeds the number of openings available.
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
| Two terms or less | 9 | 10 | 7 | 2 |
| Three to four terms | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Five to six terms | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Seven terms or more | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total openings | 18 | 14 | 10 | 4 |
| Total apps received | 20 | 19 | 20 | 18 |
Benchmark comparison
Staff surveyed many of our benchmark communities to see how they handle term limits. A spreadsheet showing what cities have term limits is attached. A majority of the cities surveyed have term limits with the average number of terms being three.
Options
Staff presented the following options to the city council during the April workshop.
Based on the discussion with the city council, staff are recommending moving forward with option 2, implementing a term limit of three full terms with an option to reapply after a two-year absence. This would start February 1, 2027. Please note that staff recommend the current practice for EDA and planning commission members remain as is.
Based on this recommended option, staff is proposing the attached updates to the city's open appointment policy for council review. The majority of the changes are to reflect plain language practices to make the policy easier to scan and understand. The language for term limits is being added to the former reappointment section. As noted above, the city will follow two processes for term limits and reappointment. Members on the economic development authority and planning commission will continue their current practice of reapplying after one or two full terms. Members on all other boards will now have a term limit of three full terms with an option to reapply after a two-year absence. By saying members need to serve three full terms, that may mean that some serve longer than nine years if they were appointed to fill a seat mid-term. Of our current 71 members, 59 will be impacted with term limits.
By implementing term limits starting February 1, 2027:
If the city council approves the recommended changes, staff recommend a phased communications plan. It will begin with personal outreach by the mayor, city council, city manager, and assistant city manager to the 14 members who have served 10 or more years. Following those conversations, letters will go out to the 59 members lettering them know about the change.
It is recommended that the city council approve resolution 26-69 amending resolution 15-05, open appointment policy for committees and commissions.