Coronado City Council members offered suggestions to a staff report, raising concerns that the 12 standing boards, commissions and committees that exist within the City of Coronado may not be operating as well as they should be.
The staff report, which was presented by City Manager Tina Friend at the July 16 city council meeting, stated that this administrative review from the council was timely as the inconsistencies can “impair the effective functioning of our advisory body system and frustrate the individual contributions of our residents serving on boards.”
Friend said that the 12 commissions have inconsistent board terms and an uneven distribution of responsibilities.
Although there was no immediate action taken at the meeting, Council member Casey Tanaka suggested that this is an issue that should be looked at further once the new council is formed after elections in November.
City commissions, boards and committees
These boards, including the Mobility Commission, Design Review Commission and Discover Coronado, are made up of Coronado residents who are appointed into those positions by the council.
Friend said the board terms for members are very inconsistent, with no common start or end date throughout the year. As a result, there is a constant workload of recruiting and selecting new commissioners, Friend added.
I really feel very strongly that we have our residents volunteering to do this work. I really want to honor their time.
City Manager Tina Friend
“[It] really creates a lot of confusion for staff, creates more time and effort on the administration and also for our commissioners,” Friend said. “I really feel very strongly that we have our residents volunteering to do this work. I really want to honor their time.”
Another issue, as stated in the staff report, is that there is an uneven distribution of responsibilities and resources within these groups. Some boards receive dedicated staff resources while others operate with minimal support.
One board, the Cultural Arts Commission, has a dedicated budget and spending authority, while others don’t.
The Library Board of Trustees also oversees a set of funds gifted to the Coronado Public Library by community members, according to Kelsea Holian, the city clerk.
And currently, only two commissions, the Mobility Commission and Cultural Arts Commission, consistently provide annual reports to the City Council.
Council member John Duncan pointed out that some commissions also have ambiguous purposes and goals.
“I have an issue with any committee if they are a group in search of a mission,” Duncan said, noting that he’d rather have a group of residents who want to serve ready and available for AD HOC projects, or unexpected one-time projects, rather than just be standing bodies in a committee without a mission and purpose.
Council involvement with outside agencies
Council member Carrie Anne Downey then moved the conversation to the council’s role on the outside agencies, boards and commissions the council members are appointed to, and raised concern about conflicts of interest.
“What is our role at a board meeting of CHA (Coronado Historical Association)?” Downey prompted, as an example. “Technically we shouldn’t be participating in their discussion of their budget or anything, especially since they’re going to be coming back to us to ask for money.”
The outside agencies Downey referred to are compiled in an exhaustive list of over 20 boards and commissions that can be found on Coronado’s website. The list includes SANDAG, the Golf Course Advisory Committee and the Chamber of Commerce.
“I would suggest, I don’t think we need to be at any of these [meetings],” Downey said. “And if we’re going to make a decision that we should be in some of them, what is the criteria?”
Mayor Richard Bailey agreed with Downey and said he never felt comfortable with his participation either and would want to come back at a later date to discuss what the council should be participating in.
Council member Mike Donovan explained that the verbiage decided for these positions a few years ago was that council members were the liaisons for the boards and committees.
“We have nothing to do with their decision making or anything like that,” Donovan said.
Donovan said that the council members attend these meetings in case the organizations had questions or needed feedback from a member of the council.
Tanaka said that the council’s assignments to these outside boards were never established in writing, and it had somehow just been decided; and then, over the years, had been passed down through oral tradition.
“We should put more in writing so that future council members have more clarity about what does any council expect of them if you are the liaison or the ex-officio,” Tanaka said.
“It’s a double-edged sword for the city,” Downey said. “Both, for lots of reasons, financial reasons as well as conflict-of-interest reasons.”
