HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-026 - ADMIN Resolution - City Council - 2010/03/15RESOLUTION NO. 10-026
RESOLUTION AMENDING AND RESTATING
RESOLUTION NO. 09-053 ADOPTED APRIL 6, 2009
APPROVING RULES AND PROCEDURES
FOR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS
WHEREAS, the St. Louis Park City Council has established certain boards and
commissions to serve as advisory to the City Council; and
WHEREAS, the City Council wishes its various boards and commissions to comply with all
regulations to which they are subject concerning conduct of meetings including those provisions
contained in the Minnesota State Statutes, the City Charter and the Municipal Code; and
WHEREAS, the attached rules and procedures serve as a guideline for operating those
boards and commissions and they set standards for the conduct of staff and commission members.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City of St. Louis Park hereby amends
the "Rules and Procedures for Boards and Commissions" attached as Exhibit A and shall adhere to
the ule as stated therein unless revised by a majority vote of the City Council.
Review
for A. ministration:
•
City Man.'ge
Attest:
City Clerk
Adopted by the City Council March 15, 2010
Resolution No. 10-026 -2-
Resolution No. 10-026
A. Boards
Exhibit A
Rules and Procedures for Boards and Commissions
Amending Resolution No. 09-053
Adopted by City Council March 15, 2010
The St. Louis Park City Charter grants the council authority to form various boards and
commissions by ordinance. Boards and commissions serve in an advisory capacity to the City
Council and are conferred various degrees of decision making power. The City Council is the sole
policy making body of the city. Some boards and commissions include in their membership persons
appointed by the school board.
Boards and commissions of the city which have been created by ordinance and are governed by the
provisions of these rules and procedures are as follows.
• Board of Zoning Appeals
• Human Rights Commission
• Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission
• Planning Commission
• Police Advisory Commission
• Telecommunications Advisory Commission
In addition, other ad hoc groups may be formed as needed by resolution of the council.
B. Staff Liaisons
Each board and commission is assigned a staff liaison. Duties of the staff liaison are, in general, to
facilitate or assist in the meetings, to record attendance and to provide information and direction as
requested by the commission. It is also the responsibility of the staff liaison to inform the city
council of any problems or issues that may arise.
C. Membership and Terms
Membership requirements are set by ordinance. All board and commission members are appointed
by the council or, in some cases, by the school board. Youth members may be appointed and are
conferred voting status except in the case of the Planning Commission and Board of Zoning
Appeals. Board and Commission members may not chair more than one commission at a time and
commissioners may only serve one consecutive year as chair.
D. Qualifications
Members must be St. Louis Park residents, but need not have expertise in any particular area.
Willingness to serve and be involved are the most important attributes of members. Per Resolution
#01-078, the city council will not consider applications for appointment to advisory commissions
from regular full-time or part-time St. Louis Park employees (as defined in the city's personnel
manual). City Council will not consider applications for appointment to commissions from other
employees working for the city such as seasonal, temporary, part time, paid on call firefighters or
contract employees if such appointment could cause a conflict of interest.
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E. Attendance
Regular attendance at meetings is a requirement for continued membership on any board or
commission. Irregular attendance and frequent absences are detrimental to the entire group and put
undue pressure on those members who do attend meetings. Regular attendance allows members to
learn about and discuss issues in depth which contributes to more effective decision making.
Continued absenteeism is considered grounds for dismissal by the council.
F. By -Laws
Each board and commission shall create by-laws and meeting procedures. By-laws must be consistent
with the City Code and should follow the Council's template for by-laws Whenever changes are
made, copies of the by-laws should be forwarded to the Administrative Services department for the
Council's review. Council has 30 days to review and amend the by-laws per the City Code.
G. Meetings
Meeting times and locations are set according to each commission's by-laws. Each commission
should defer to the Council's meeting policy for meetings which occur on or near holidays. A
quorum of the board is made up of a majority of members currently appointed. All meetings will
be conducted in accordance with the Minnesota Open Meeting Law, the City Charter and the
Municipal Code of Ordinances. The proceedings of the meetings should be conducted using
standard parliamentary procedure. The City Council has adopted The Standard Code of
Parliamentary Procedure, as their guide and that publication is available in the Administrative
Services department. A simplified summary of these procedures is also available for use by
commission chairs and staff liaisons.
H. Minutes and other Records
Minutes of each meeting should be prepared and maintained by the staff liaison or designee.
Following commission approval minutes should be forwarded to the Administrative Services
department for placement on the city council agenda.
All board and commission records must be maintained in accordance with the city's records
retention policy. Please contact the Administrative Services department if you have questions
regarding retention and preferred storage medium.
I. Annual Report
Each board or commission shall prepare a draft written report for the Council which includes
activities undertaken in the past year, a progress report on the previous year's goals, and goals for the
coming year. Every effort should be made to submit the report to the Council by January 1. After
reviewing the report, the Council may meet with the group in a study session to discuss the report
and other issues of concern to the commission prior to approving the report and, as needed, may
request the Commission to also provide a. mid -year progress report.
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J. Recruitment
When a vacancy occurs it is the responsibility of the staff liaison to inform the Administrative
Services department of the vacancy. Recruitment is typically done using any combination of
advertising opportunity available. Local newspaper, Park Perspective, direct mailing, neighborhood
newsletter, the city's website, etc. are all acceptable forms of advertisement.
Applications are maintained by the Administrative Services department and are forwarded to
interested citizens upon request. In certain instances a supplemental application may be created to
determine suitability of candidates.
Upon receipt of the application a representative of the Administrative Services department will
contact the applicant to acknowledge receipt of the application and to discuss the interview and
appointment process.
Applications will be retained in the active file six months following receipt.
K. Candidate Review Process
Written applications are forwarded to Councilmembers for review as openings occur.
Councilmembers will inform the Administrative Services department of the candidates they wish to
interview based upon their review of written materials within two weeks of receiving the materials.
Interviews are conducted by the City Council, usually prior to a Monday evening meeting.
Following the interview, the Mayor will inform the Administrative Services department about the
status of each applicant. The Administrative Services department will mail a thank you letter to each
applicant with information regarding next steps in the process.
L. Appointment
Appointments are made by the City Council at a regular meeting of the council. Council will
inform the Administrative Services department when an appointment is to be made so that the
appointment can be added to the council agenda.
Following the appointment the Administrative Services department will contact the new member
and inform them of their appointment. A copy of the application will also be forwarded to the staff
liaison.
The staff liaison will provide the new member with meeting information and discuss expectations
and pertinent issues with them prior to the next meeting of the board or commission.
Appointments are sometimes made to unexpired terms, and often more than one vacancy exists on a
commission. In that case, the specific term occupied by the new member is determined by the
commission and communicated to the Administrative Services department.
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M. Rosters
The staff liaison is responsible for keeping an updated roster of the commission which should
include contact information, term of office and date of appointment. The liaison is responsible for
notifying the Administrative Services department about roster changes.
N. Reappointment
Reappointments are made as needed by the city council. Performance and attendance by Board and
Commission members requesting reappointment will be considered by the Council. Council may
choose to re -interview any commission member as a means to determine whether the commission
member should continue to serve. A member may continue to serve beyond their expiration date
until a reappointment is made.
O. Resignation
When a resignation occurs, the staff liaison should contact the Administrative Services department
and forward a copy of any correspondence that may have been received. Administrative Services will
then initiate recruitment to fill the vacant position. A member may continue to serve beyond their
expiration date until a successor is appointed. Members may be removed with or without cause by
the City Council.
411 P. Recognition
At the beginning of each year the Council will recognize members who have left their position
during the prior year. Appreciation activities will be planned for all commission members on a
regular basis.
Q. Orientation
The Administrative Services department and the staff liaisons will provide orientation for new board
and commission members as well as new staff liaisons.
R. Conflict of Interest
No commissioner shall:
(1) Enter into any contractual arrangement with the city during the term serving as an appointed
board or commissioner member and for a period of one year after leaving office, unless
authorized by Minnesota statutes 4 471.88.
(2) Use their position to secure any special privilege or exemption for themselves or others.
(3) Use their office or otherwise act in any manner which would give the appearance of or result in
any impropriety or conflict of interest.