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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 12031996 - SD4 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS IOC-03 Contra -�`s FROM: INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE Costa �.. :a County DATE: November 18, 1996 SUBJECT: POLICY ON APPOINTMENT OF ALTERNATES TO ADVISORY BODIES SPECIFIC REOUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. PROPOSE that the Board of Supervisors consider adopting as a general policy that advisory bodies which are listed in the "Maddy Book" should have alternates who can sit in and vote for certain specified members when they are absent and who would automatically assume a vacancy in any of those specified seats. 2. Prior to adopting such a policy, DIRECT staff to the Internal Operations Committee to request comments from those advisory bodies to whom such a policy might apply to get their input on how the proposed policy would apply to that advisory body and report the results of those comments to the 1997 Internal Operations Committee for review and recommendations to the Board of Supervisors and for this purpose REFER this subject to the 1997 Internal Operations Committee. 3. . Prior to adopting such a policy, DIRECT staff to the Internal Operations Committee to review the statutory basis of any) for the advisory body to determine whether there is any prohibition to having alternates and report the results of that review to the 1997 Internal Operations Committee for review and recommendations to the Board of Supervisors. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): ACTION OF BOARD ON nerembe 1 qQR APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED _X OTHER I VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE X _UNANIMOUS(ABSENT ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. ATTESTED December 3 , 1996 Contact' County Administrator PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF cc' County Counsel SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Selected Department Heads staff and advisory bodies (Via CAO) BY ,DEPUTY c IOC-03 4. Prior to adopting such a policy, DIRECT staff to the Internal Operations Committee to request comments from the department staff who staff the advisory body to get their input on how the proposed policy would apply to that advisory body and report the results of those comments to the 1997 Internal Operations Committee for review and recommendations to the Board of Supervisors. 5. DIRECT staff to the Internal Operations Committee to emphasize in contacting the advisory bodies that this effort is not intended to constitute a broad- ranging review of all advisory bodies but is intended solely to involve the issue of alternates. 6. REMOVE this subject ' as a referral to the 1996 Internal Operations Committee. BACKGROUND: Many of our advisory bodies are unable to maintain their full membership because of vacancies which occur. It often takes an extended length of time to fill vacancies on advisory bodies when there must be a public recruitment, a period of time for the submission of applications, screening and interviewing of applicants, and finally a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors to make an appointment. In addition, there is often a learning curve for a new member of an advisory body before the individual can be an effective member of the advisory body. Finally, there are often problems in obtaining a quorum at a meeting for the conduct of business because of absences. Many of these problems could be solved, at least for some advisory bodies, by the appointment of alternates to certain specified seats on the advisory body. The alternate would be expected to attend all meeting of the advisory body and would be available to count for quorum purposes and could vote for any of the members for whom he or she is the alternate in their absence. In addition, whenever any of the seats for which the individual is the alternate became vacant, the designated alternate would automatically assume the vacant seat. A new alternate would then be recruited. This system of alternates will not work with all advisory bodies or with all seats because in many cases the qualifications for the seats are so detailed as to make it impractical to appoint alternates with the necessary qualifications. In other cases, there may be a prohibition to the use of alternates in the State or Federal law which establishes the advisory body. Therefore, we are suggesting that this system not be used when there are only one or two seats on an advisory body which have the same qualifications. Whenever there are five or more seats which have the same qualifications, an alternate should be appointed. For advisory bodies where there are three or four seats with similar qualifications, the 1997 Internal Operations Committee should review the situation and make a recommendation regarding whether an alternate should be appointed. We are also asking that staff review any authorizing legislation to determine whether there is any prohibition to the appointments of alternates. We are also asking staff to contact the advisory body itself and ask for their comments on how this system might apply to their advisory body. We are also seeking comments from the individual who staffs the advisory body regarding the -2- IOC-03 application of this system to a particular advisory body. All of these comments and research will be returned on a flow basis to the 1997 Internal Operations Committee for its review and recommendations to the Board of Supervisors. -3-