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04-17-96 v MINUTES OF THE WORKSHOP MEETING OF ATLANTIC BEACH CITY COMMISSION HELD IN CITY HALL CONFERENCE ROOM ON WEDNESDAY,APRIL 17, 1996 Present were Mayor Fletcher, and Commissioners Meserve, Reed, Rosenbloom and Shaughnessy. Also present were City Manager Jarboe and City Clerk King. The meeting, which was held for the purpose of clarifying the roles and responsibilities of committees, was called to order by Mayor Fletcher. The City Manager provided each commissioner with a draft of proposed guidelines for committees, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit A. Following a brief review of the proposed guidelines, Commissioner Shaughnessy indicated she had requested the meeting since it had been pointed out to her that committees which had not been formed by ordinance or resolution had no official status. She felt the City Commission needed to decide whether committees were required, and if so, how and when they would report. She also felt the tasking of the committees needed to be better defined. Discussion ensued and Commissioner Rosenbloom indicated he would like to see the committees work in an orderly and fluid way but did not have strong feeling about whether they should be ad hoc or standing committees. He did feel, however, that it could be beneficial to have a commission member to act as liaison to committees. Commissioner Reed indicated he favored ad hoc committees whose purpose was clear cut, and which would be terminated when their task was complete. Commissioner Meserve indicated that staff members who were required to work with standing committees were put under tremendous pressure and indicated he, too, favored ad hoc committees. Mayor Fletcher agreed that staff should not be involved with boards and committees. He indicated he favored standing committees but felt they needed to have clearer parameters. It was pointed out the Beautification Committee had not been created by resolution or ordinance and it was agreed a resolution should be drafted to formalize the Beautification Committee. It was also felt that standing committees such as the Beautification Committee should be involved in the budget process, following which the City Manager would be required to implement the items included in the budget. Following further discussion, it was agreed the City Manager and Mayor would work together to draft standards which would them be brought to the City Commission for approval. There being no further discussion, the Mayor declared the meeting adjourned. Maureen King City Clerk Exhibit A Workshop - April 17, 1996 COMMITTEES It is important to note that the roles of Boards, Commissions and Committees have in the past been confused and sometimes improperly defined. In Atlantic Beach, Boards or Commissions are normally bodies which are charged by law to perform an administrative role which requires a quasi-judiciary function. A Committee, set by a resolution, is normally an advisory or fact finding body which reports its findings to the Commission. If such a Committee is given an administrative role, such a role is of a short duration to accomplish a one time task. It is important that all such Committees be set by Resolution of the Commission so that their role is clear. Committees are normally of an advisory nature. They allow for the infusion of new ideas into the policy making process of the Commission. Committees, to be effective in their advisory role, must be independent of Staff and Commission Members in arriving at their recommendations to the Commission. There is always a danger of Committees being lobbied by staff and/or Commission Members, thereby hampering the flow of new ideas and citizen input in their recommendations. Since Committees need to be independent in their recommendations to the Commission, it is important that the staff provide information only when asked by the Committee. Also, Commission Members should only participate in the Committee process when the Commission as a whole attends Committee meetings. It is important that Committee Members abide by the Committee process, the Sun Shine Law and the Open Meeting Law. Also, only voted and approved Committee recommendations should be presented to the Commission. Any written or oral report submitted on behalf of the Committee should be approved by vote of the Committee prior to it presentation. No sub-committee reports should be made to the Commission without formal prior approval of the Committee. Proposed Committee Guidelines 1. Committees serve only in an advisory role advisory, unless authorized by the Commission to perform special projects of a limited nature. 2. Each Committee will make formal reports to the Commission of their progress. 3. Committees can not initiate any programs or administrative actions without the approval of the Commission. 4. Committees can only seek funds with prior approval of the Commission. All such fund development must adhere to the City's normal financial requirements. 5. All Committee Members are required to adhere to the Sunshine and Open Meetings Laws. Any members not adhering to these laws will be removed from the Committee by .... j.‘ the Commission. 6. Committees and their members may not obligate and/or authorize the expenditure of funds. All expenditure of funds must adhere to the City's guidelines and codes. 7. Each Committee must select a recorder of minutes from among its members to keep minutes and electronically record all discussion at meetings. 8. Staff and Commission Members will not participate in the Committee process. Staff at the formal request of the Committee will present information to the Committee. Commissioners should not participate in the Committee process unless there is a called meeting of the Commission for that purpose. 9. All Committees should be authorized by a Resolution of the Commission.