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Home My WebLink AboutMN-GPA-2013-11-20GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY COMMITTEE CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK Regular Meeting 6:00 p.m. November 20, 2013 PRESENT: Chair Mohlenhoff - Alderperson McCollister OTHERS PRESENT: City Clerk — Conley Holcomb Alderperson Brock Alderperson Dotson Alderperson -Elect — George McGonigal — Board of Fire Commissioners Dan Hoffman — Natural Areas Commission Joe McMahon — Natural Areas Commission Larry Roberts — Disability Advisory Council Dan Krall — Parks Commission Chris Anagnost — Housing Board of Review Sally Grubb — Public Art Commission Bill Gilligan — Board of Fire Commissioners Tom Hoard — Board of Fire Commissioners Nina Bassuk — Shade Tree Advisory Committee Lurene Gilbert — Shade Tree Advisory Committee Jesse Hill — Conservation Advisory Council Tom Shelley — Conservation Advisory Council Daniel Keough — Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee Marcia Fort — Workforce Diversity Advisory Committee EXCUSED: Alderpersons Smith, Proulx, Murtagh Mayor Myrick Call to Order: Chair Mohlenhoff led a round of introductions and reviewed the meeting agenda. She summarized the process and the discussions held to date. She stressed that this is the starting point for the work and collecting feedback from committees. Any changes to organizational structures would be implemented in 2014 as it would require legislative changes. She further clarified that the GPA Committee is not recommending any changes to the structure of the quasi - judicial boards, the Civil Service Commission, the Community Police Board or the Board of Fire Commissioners which are included in the City Charter at this time. Chair Mohlenhoff presented information about the City's Strategic Themes and discussed how they are being incorporated into the City's decision making processes. GPA Committee Minutes November 20, 2013 She reviewed the documents in the packets that were distributed to the participants: • Organizational Chart of committee relationships • Strategic Themes one -sheet • Council self - report of liaison participation • Committees & Appointments by theme • Committees that are city managed /appointed only (including quasi - judicial) • Memo from GPA • Other city lists and info for benchmarking She further shared the assumptions /issues /starting points that led to this discussion: • Do we need a `feeder system' for things to find their way to Council? How does an idea become an issue that ultimately council sees? EXAMPLES: Wood Smoke, Chickens, Noise Ordinance, Taxi Legislation, etc. • Use of staff time vs use of council time? Who writes legislation? Who researches an issue? • Do we need a new universal application for all boards? • Boards and committees are the idea generators, passionate advocates, and content experts. • Who gets a council liaison? Who gets a staff member? What should council's role be? • Do we need minutes and agendas as we currently produce them? • We need to provide training for volunteers serving in key roles. • Should we have a core membership requirement that is the same for all city committees? • What issues are not being addressed regularly by any of our current committees or boards? The participants were divided into four working groups which were each assigned one of the City's Strategic Themes. They were asked to identify which existing committees currently relate to the selected theme and which elements of that theme are not being addressed by a current committee or board. Each group reported out and general consensus was that most committees appeared to relate to at least one of the Strategic Themes and almost all of the elements in the Themes are being addresses except: • Technology /Multi -modal Communication • Fresh Food Safety and Accessibility • The City's Carbon Footprint • Town Gown issues and the relationship to economic development • Comprehensive look at how to develop strong neighborhoods The participants were asked to go back to their groups and discuss the problems /deficits that exist in the general committee structure (not necessarily the committees they serve on) and the strengths and opportunities that are presented related to the current structure. The following comments were shared: K GPA Committee Minutes November 20, 2013 Challenges • Inconsistent attendance by CC and BPW liaisons • Desire to update quorum structure • 2 -3 minute speaking times at CC and BPW meetings • No clear reporting structures to CC /BPW or who to talk to about concerns • Raising funds for projects • Multiple approval levels that are required — sometimes grants /proposals need to be approved immediately • Frustrations that the charge of the body has evolved and original purposes may be outlived & should be modified • Committees need oversight and guidance when leadership turns over • Connections /collaboration with other boards could be very helpful • Progress is people dependent (engaged vs. not engaged) • Lack of access to procedure and policy • Lack of public awareness — improved website — contact information should be included • No Council or staff liaisons / Staff & liaisons are really important • Minutes & record keeping is difficult to maintain • Vacancies are tough to fill — hard to find people who are passionate about the work • Lines of communication to staff are poor • Not sure how to request financial resources from the Mayor /Common Council • Over - extensions of Council Liaisons • Need staff advocates to help navigate projects through the appropriate channels • Members resign when committee is not functioning properly Strengths • Level of creativity of volunteers • Commitment of volunteers • Great committee members • Action oriented / focused agenda • Staff liaisons make a positive impact on committee success • Continuity of committee members • Great attendance levels • Ability to conduct field visits • City Commitment to civic engagement • Ability of committees to make a positive impact • Like — minded people with common interests • Committees can act as front -line responders for staff, CC, BPW • Great resource to CC / BPW when complicated decisions need to be made • Can support and harness volunteer efforts • Having specific and manageable charges and focus, allows committees to focus on that element — regular review of charges • Strong CC /BPW liaisons assist with lines of communication 41 GPA Committee Minutes November 20, 2013 Opportunities • Group committee meetings, like this one, can be very beneficial for educational and communication reasons — discuss common issues on a quarterly basis • Use of student resources in committees • Development of new recruitment methods • Legislative review of committee charges to update, modify, and clarify. Identify expectations and responsibilities. • Build processes to re- examine the services that are provided • Specified channels of staff people that committees can go to with questions — who is in charge of certain elements? • Orientation for committees — FOIL requests /job descriptions / template processes for committees (Letters, Resolutions, etc. — how to navigate the legislative process) • CC should identify what they would like from committees — annual reports, etc. • Committee budgets for educational outreach or project seed money — donated funds to committees (trusts or "Friends" groups) • New method to select liaisons Other items discussed: It would be great to have an annual meeting with all of the committee represented to discuss goals, accomplishments, challenges, etc. Term limits: how do seat turnover so others have an opportunity to serve? Challenge is to maintain a balance of institutional memory with fresh ideas and perspective. Ask committees how they feel their work fits within the City's goals and Strategic Themes. Meeting Wrap -up — Announcements — Review Agenda Items for Next Meeting: Chair Mohlenhoff stated that the GPA Committee will sort through the data collected at tonight's meeting at the December meeting and will begin to develop recommendations. She extended her thanks to all of the volunteer committee members who participated in the meeting for their dedicated service to the City. Adjournment: On a motion the meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m. Julie Conley Holcomb, CIVIC City Clerk CI Deborah Mohlenhoff Chair