HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem A - Public Comment1
Brent Rasi
To:Monique Lomeli
Subject:RE: Boards and Commissions - Sustainability Commission Response (
From: Flinn Fagg
Sent: Wednesday, June 8, 2022 7:41 AM
To: City Clerk <CityClerk@palmspringsca.gov>
Cc: Monique Lomeli <Monique.Lomeli@palmspringsca.gov>; Justin Clifton (Justin.Clifton@palmspringsca.gov)
<Justin.Clifton@palmspringsca.gov>; Cindy Cairns <Cindy.Cairns@palmspringsca.gov>
Subject: Boards and Commissions ‐ Sustainability Commission Response (
The Sustainability Commission has prepared the attached document in response to the City Council’s discussion
on boards and commissions at the 4/21/22 City Council meeting. They would like the document to be
forwarded to Council members in advance of the 6/21/22 City Council meeting.
From: Don Barrett <Don.Barrett‐ABM@palmspringsca.gov>
Sent: Tuesday, June 7, 2022 4:52 PM
To: Flinn Fagg <Flinn.Fagg@palmspringsca.gov>
Cc: Tracy Sheldon <Tracy.Sheldon@palmspringsca.gov>
Subject: Sustainability response to "Challenges to ... Commissions"
Flinn ‐‐
Attached is the Sustainability Response to the "Challenges to Palm Springs Boards and
Commissions". This was reviewed and approved by all of the Commissioners in the May 17, 2022
meeting; changes recommended by the Commission were entered by Commissioner Clark and
approved by me.
Don
Don Barrett
Chair, Sustainability Commission
6/21/2022
Public Comment
Item A
Challenges to Palm Springs Boards and Commissions
Response from Sustainability Commission, Approved 17 May 2022
Staff Report Challenge and Recommendation Sustainability Commission Response
• Challenge #1: The City currently has 14 Boards
and Commissions (including a “Committee”), most
of which are created to advise Council on policy but
sometimes participate in administrative work.
Recommendation: Realign ordinances, bylaws, and
practices to reflect advisory roles. Delegate ongoing
administrative work to the few Commissions that
have this responsibility, such as Planning
Commission and Architectural Review. Reserve all
other delegated tasks on a case-by-case basis.
The Sustainability Commission supports the
recommendation to realign ordinances, bylaws,
and practices to emphasize advisory roles.
Administrative work required to enforce
organics disposal and food ware requirements
will be performed by the Sustainability
Associates the City plans to hire.
• Challenge #2: Boards and Commissions vary in
size from 5 to 19. Larger Commissions sometimes
struggle with attendance, continuity, and efficiency.
Recommendation: Reduce Commissions to 5 or 7
members with the possible exception of the Airport
Commission. Consider reducing the size of the
Airport Commission in a way that still emphasizes
regional participation. For instance, a 7-member
Airport Commission could have 4 appointees from
Palm Springs and 3 appointed from the mid-Valley,
East-Valley and unincorporated Riverside County,
respectively. Item 3B – 2.
The Sustainability Commission supports the
recommendation to reduce the number of
members on commissions. The Sustainability
Commission should be reduced to seven
members (including Chair and Vice Chair).
The Commission recommends that Work
Groups be established as needed for specific
tasks. The period of performance would be
specified, and Work Groups could include
people outside of the Commission.
• Challenge #3: All Commission meetings were
instructed to be held at 5:30. This creates some
scheduling conflicts and makes the logistics of
hybrid meetings more difficult. Recommendation:
Consider allowing Commissions to schedule
meetings at other times as long as transparency with
recorded meetings and convenient options for public
input are maintained.
The Sustainability Commission supports
creating flexibility in meeting times.
Historically, the Sustainability Commission has
met at 5:00 pm on the third Tuesday. The time
changed to 5:30 pm in 2020 per City Council
direction. The Sustainability Commission
prefers to continue to meet at 5:30 on the third
Tuesday.
6/21/2022
Public Comment
Item A
Staff Report Challenge and Recommendation Sustainability Commission Response
• Challenge #4: Boards and Commissions have
varying practices with bylaws, use of subcommittees
and other practices. Recommendation: Create
template bylaws for all Commissions. Require any
special provisions that may be necessary for some
Commissions to be approved by City Council.
The Sustainability Commission supports
creating templates, with the expectation that
there will be flexibility in tailoring practices to
each commission.
The Sustainability Commission can contribute
two documents: Commission Work Flow and
Agenda Development Process (attached).
• Challenge #5: Expectations regarding conduct,
media relations, stakeholder engagement, working
with external jurisdictions, representing
Commissions with outside groups, representing the
City, etc. are unclear. Recommendation: Create a
template Handbook outlining various expectations
for conduct and incorporate into onboarding.
The Sustainability Commission supports
creating templates, with the expectation that
there will be flexibility in tailoring handbooks
to each commission.
• Challenge #6: Board and Commission members
often lack clarity on roles, responsibilities, and
important rules such as the Brown Act. Not all staff
that serve as liaisons to Commissions are trained in
this area. Recommendation: Ensure onboarding
materials cover this content and there is annual
training provided to staff liaisons and Commissions.
The Sustainability Commission supports
developing onboarding materials that cover the
content specified.
A FAQ sheet would be helpful.
The Sustainability Commission has had
“training” on the Brown Act and conflict of
interest at Commission meetings by the City
Clerk on request.
Annual training should be more substantive
than that held in January 2020.
6/21/2022
Public Comment
Item A
Staff Report Challenge and Recommendation Sustainability Commission Response
• Challenge #7: Boards and Commissions often lack
strategic direction from Council. This leads to
confusion and frustration as Commissions struggle
to meter the volume of work and produce
recommendations that Council is willing and ready
to act on. This also leads to instances where work
that is important to a Commission is advanced to
City Council, but Council is focused with other
priorities, causing the Commission to feel slighted or
to have wasted its time. Recommendation: Create an
annual cycle of strategic planning that coincides with
Council’s strategic visioning. The cycle of planning
would contemplate providing input to Council
before priorities are considered, receiving direction
from Council after priorities are established and
reporting back periodically on progress. New
initiatives Commissions want to undertake outside
established priorities would start with a request and
proposal to Council
The Sustainability Commission supports
creating an annual cycle of strategic planning.
This may be more useful for some commissions
than others.
By nature of the discipline, the Sustainability
Commission attracts members who have a
“passion” for conservation and environment-
related issues. Historically, the Sustainability
Commission has been successful in developing
projects from “grass roots” initiatives,
communicating with Council, and having th e
plans accepted by Council. Examples are
differentiation of trash and recycling containers
downtown and in parks, battery recycling, and
recommending solar panel installation on new
houses.
Sustainability Commissioners often have
interests and talents that complement those of
Council members. This may be interpreted as
conflict. Commissioners may have expertise or
insight into neighborhood needs that might not
be visible to Council members.
• Challenge #8: Commissions report feeling
disconnected from Council and unaware of how
information is exchanged. Council Members have
sometimes served as direct liaisons to Commissions,
but an ambitious policy agenda and high demands
for Council Member time makes consistent
participation at Commissions difficult.
Recommendation: Create a process whereby active
Commissions create and submit quarterly reports to
Council. Alternatively, the Mayor or designated
Council Item 3B - 3 Members can attend
Commission meetings quarterly or on some other
periodic basis. Hold at least one annual meeting
between Council and Commissions. Train staff to
better facilitate communication between Boards and
Commissions.
The Sustainability Commission supports
creating a process whereby commissions create
and submit quarterly reports to Council. This
seems to implicitly acknowledge the value of
commissions. It would formalize what has been
a generally good process for the Sustainability
Commission.
Historically the Sustainability Commission has
had a good working relationship with Council
members, both formally with designated
liaisons, and informally. Examples are
collaboration on the leaf blower ban, food ware
ordinance, climate action roadmap, and
requiring commercial businesses to purchase
renewable energy.
Council members have attended Commission
meetings and Waste Reduction subcommittee
meetings.
A study session was held with a Council
member in May 2018.
6/21/2022
Public Comment
Item A
Staff Report Challenge and Recommendation Sustainability Commission Response
Challenge #9: Commissions often have ideas for
engaging in additional work, creating
subcommittees, creating communications content
and other work that often goes beyond researching,
drafting, and presenting policy recommendations.
Recommendation: Outline in a Commission
Handbook that staff is committed to assist the work
of the Commission but is empowered to adjust and
meter work or to suggest alternative ways to
complete tasks to balance the demand on staff time.
The Sustainability Commission supports the
recommendation that staff should assist the
work of the Commission but can adjust or meter
work.
This challenge is much like challenge 7, but it
creates potential conflict between
Commissioners and staff.
There needs to be clarification of the roles of
the Sustainability Commission versus those of
staff, especially since a new Sustainability
Director and Sustainability Associates will be
added in 2022 and 2023.
The involvement of Planning, Engineering, and
Parks and Recreation in Sustainability
activities, which is included in Council
priorities, needs to be formalized and managed.
• Challenge #10: Commissions, like City Council,
can sometimes have tension between the roles of
individual members and the Commission as a body.
Some Commissioners readily engage in advancing
Commission work outside of Commission meetings,
sometimes causing confusion about what has been
directed by Commission as a body.
Recommendation: Outline in a Commission
Handbook expectations for conduct and emphasize
the limited nature of individual roles (typically
limited to officer positions) and the greater emphasis
on group decision making. Individual efforts to work
around the Commission as body should be
discouraged.
The Sustainability Commission supports the
recommendation to outline conduct and
definition of roles in a handbook.
Historically there have been conflicts with a
few Sustainability Commission members
working outside of Commission meetings. The
Sustainability Commission Chair and
Sustainability Manager attempted to coach
members and minimize conflict. It was not
always successful.
The Sustainability Commission Chair, Vice
Chair, and Sustainability staff provide
information to Commissioners to facilitate
group decision making at monthly meetings.
This is a recognized leadership role.
Commission candidate interviews should better
align candidates’ interests and abilities with
Commission and Council priorities. The
Commission Chair and Vice Chair should have
input into selection of candidates for interviews
and final selection of Commissioners.
6/21/2022
Public Comment
Item A