TO: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, CITY OF CHINO
FROM: LINDA REICH, CITY MANAGER
SUBJECT
title
City of Chino Commissions.
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RECOMMENDATION
recommendation
Discuss and provide direction to Staff regarding the City’s Sphere of Influence Planning Commission participation and broadcasting Commission meetings.
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FISCAL IMPACT
No fiscal impact.
CITY OF CHINO MISSION / VISION / VALUES / STRATEGIC ISSUES
The recommendation detailed above further the City’s values and strategic issues that serve as key pillars on which identified priorities, goals, and action plans are built, by fostering:
• Positive City Image
• Superior Customer Service
• Responsible Long-Range Planning
• Exemplary Leadership
• Public Service Excellence through Internal and External Partnerships
BACKGROUND
At the July 5, 2023 City Council Meeting, the City Council directed the Community Services, Parks and Recreation (CSPR) and Planning Commissions to discuss and provide input on the commission appointment process and terms. The Planning Commission met at their regular meeting on August 16, 2023 and the CSPR Commission met at a Workshop on August 28, 2023 to discuss and provide feedback to the City Council.
At the October 10, 2023 City Council Workshop, the City Council discussed the feedback received from the Commissions. Below are the questions and Commission’s feedback:
1. Should there be at least one Commissioner appointed from each City Council District?
a. Results for the Planning Commission were 5-1 against, with CSPR Commission 5-2 against.
2. Should term limits be established for Commissioners?
a. Results for the Planning Commission were 4-2 against, with CSPR 5-2 against.
3. Should there be a Commissioner appointed from the City’s Sphere of Influence in an advisory capacity?
a. Results for the Planning Commission were 4-2 in favor, with CSPR 4-3 in favor.
4. Should there be a Commissioner appointed from the City’s Sphere of Influence in a voting capacity.
a. Results for the Planning Commission were 6-0 against, with CSPR 6-1 against.
Additionally, at this meeting the City Council voted 5-0 to convert the CSPR At-Large appointment to an appointment by the Mayor with City Council approval.
The City Council directed staff to proceed with converting the CSPR Commission Member At-Large appointment to a Mayor appointment with the approval of the City Council, and directed staff return with a proposal for adding one or more members to the Planning Commission to represent areas within the City’s Sphere of Influence, as well as provide a recommendation and cost analysis for broadcasting CSPR and Planning Commission meetings.
ISSUES/ANALYSIS
The following addresses the City Council directives to consider revisions to the Planning Commission composition. Based on internal staff meetings and consultation with the City Attorney, the following is recommended:
1. SOI Members. The Planning Commission would be expanded to add 2 members from the City’s Sphere of Influence (SOI), one from each SOI area, the North SOI and South SOI (“SOI Member(s)”). Each SOI Member will also serve as an alternate to the other SOI Member so that if one is absent, unavailable or otherwise has a conflict of interest on a discussion item, the other SOI Member will participate in his/her place.
2. Participation on Matters within SOI. The SOI Members will be invited to participate in those Planning Commission agenda matters that impact their respective SOI area. This includes projects located within the SOI, General Plan Amendments, Zoning Code or other matters impacting the SOI area in question, as determined by the Development Services Director, as well as those within the City boundaries in close proximity to the SOI represented by the respective SOI Member. A project within the City will be considered to be in close proximity to a SOI if it is within 300 feet of the boundary to the applicable SOI, consistent with the area subject to public hearing notices. So, for example, if a project or other item of consideration is located either in the North SOI or within 300 feet of the boundary of the City along the North SOI, the SOI Member from the North SOI will participate in the discussion of that agenda item. If a General Plan Amendment, Zoning Code or other matter applies city-wide, the SOI Members will both be asked to participate.
3. Ex-Officio Members. The SOI Members will be ex-officio members, meaning that they will have the full ability to participate on matters for which they are involved, as described in paragraph 2 above, but will not have voting rights.
4. Participation on Design Review Board. Currently, the City’s Design Review Board (DRB), which oversees and provides applicants on design elements of proposed development, is comprised of two Planning Commission members and staff from the Development Services Department. The proposal is to have the SOI Member attend DRB meetings for all projects within their respective SOI, as described in paragraph 2 above.
5. Conflict Rules Apply. All State and City rules pertaining to conflicts of interests would apply to the SOI Member. As such, if a matter has a material financial impact on a SOI Member’s finances or real property, that member would be required to recuse him/herself. In such case, the other SOI Member would be invited to participate as the conflicted SOI Member’s alternate. Brown Act quorum rules do not apply to the SOI Member as they serve in an ex-officio capacity. Nevertheless, per the City Attorney’s suggestion, substantive Brown Act rules should apply prohibiting the majority of the members from discussing matters within the Planning Commission’s jurisdiction outside of a publicly noticed meeting.
Broadcasting Commission Meetings
City staff has assessed the feasibility of expanding broadcasting to include City Commission meetings. Current challenges, notably understaffing and the need for strategic right-sizing, have prompted a comprehensive analysis. The team, already functioning below capacity and experiencing over double the demand for video production services since the pandemic, needs strategic improvement to effectively meet its current workload. The proposed restructuring involves the recruitment of a full-time Cable TV Producer and a full-time Cable Associate, estimated to require an additional budget allocation of $122,892.
Given the focus on strengthening the team's foundation through recruitment and structural adjustments, City staff advises against the immediate expansion of broadcasting additional meetings at this time. This approach ensures prioritization of quality and consistency in current services, setting a solid groundwork for future expansion.
RECOMMENDATION
That the City Council discuss and provide direction to staff following presentations on these items.