City Council Meeting Date: January 7, 2025
To: City Council
From: Ben Martig, City Administrator
Title
Consider Approval of Mayoral Board and Commission Appointments.
Body
Action Requested:
The Northfield City Council approves the following board/commission appointments.
Summary Report:
The City Council is being asked to approve the following board, commission, and committee appointments as nominated by Mayor Zweifel. The City’s boards and commissions, and their appointed members, serve in an advisory role to the City Council who determine all matters of policy. Each board and commission and their individual members should be working collaboratively to accomplish the policy agenda as articulated by the elected leaders through all Council approved plans, the strategic plan, and the 2045 comprehensive plan.
Starting in summer of 2021 for 2022 appointments, the current board and commission timeline was shifted up to earlier in the year, allowing time for newly appointed members to go through onboarding with staff prior to starting their terms and to keep from finalizing appointments during the busy holiday season.
The new timeline has been incorporated into the City Council and Board and Commission Member Guide, which was drafted by staff and reviewed by the City Council and a Board and Commission Governance Review Committee, consisting of current board and commission members. This was concluded with adoption back in August of this year and this process was discussed during that time. There was a second round of edits to the ordinances that were going to be completed for individual board sections of code but has been delayed. Those sections is where the final codification of the process was and is intended to be clarified through codified policy of the City code. With other work underway that work will continue into 2025 and be completed then. The timeline was also approved by the City Council and Hospital Board and incorporated into the Hospital Playbook, aligning Hospital Board appointments with all other City board and commission appointments, apart from the Charter Commission which follows a separate approval process.
Previous 2025 board and commission appointments were made on November 26, 2024 to allow for adequate preparation and training of new members by the first board or commission meeting of the year.
As part of the process, the Administration office reviews all current member terms starting in June and identifies who is up for reappointment and who may not be eligible for another term at this time. Staff liaisons and members whose terms are expiring are notified and agenda items are placed on all board/commission agendas providing transparency on who is up for reappointment and how many vacancies will be expected for each board and commission.
Throughout the summer and early fall, applications are accepted, and staff actively recruits at events, such as Pride in the Park and Crazy Days, to identify a broad spectrum of members of the community to become part of the City’s boards and commissions. Concurrently, staff liaisons and directors meet with me to offer this input on their respective board(s)/commissions(s) and the needs they see going forward. The Mayor meets with all City Council members and board/commission chairs to also gain additional feedback. The Mayor also met with available applicants for approximately 30 minutes each. These meetings allow for a chance to get to know new applicants as well as provided a check-in time for those that are re-applying for a position.
The current board and commission timeline is attached (attachment 1). This is not an officially approved Council policy but is an internal policy used by the Administration department. It was initially approved in 2018 and updated in 2021 and 2023 to align the Hospital Board appointments. Applications for those being recommended for appointment are also attached (attachment 2).
Proposed appointments in the attachment are as follows:
Northfield Area Fire and Rescue Services Board
• Peter Dahlen appointed for a three-year term ending December 31, 2026.
Council Employment Committee
• Brad Ness appointed for a one-year term ending December 31, 2025.
• Jessica Peterson White appointed for a one-year term ending December 31, 2025.
• Kathleen Holmes appointed for a one-year term ending December 31, 2025.
Council Finance Committee
• Davin Sokup appointed for a one-year term ending December 31, 2025.
• Chad Beumer appointed for a one-year term ending December 31, 2025.
• Peter Dahlen appointed for a one-year term ending December 31, 2025.
Northfield City/Hospital Governance Committee
• Erica Zweifel appointed for a one-year term ending December 31, 2025.
Age Friendly Steering Committee
• Brad Ness appointed for a one-year term ending December 31, 2025.
Beyond the Yellow Ribbon
• Chad Beumer appointed for a one-year term ending December 31, 2025.
Friends of Downtown Northfield
• Peter Dahlen appointed for a one-year term ending December 31, 2025.
Hiawathaland Transit Advisory Committee
• Erica Zweifel appointed for a one-year term ending December 31, 2025.
Mayor’s Youth Council
• Erica Zweifel appointed for a one-year term ending December 31, 2025.
Mills Town Trail Joint Powers Board
• Erica Zweifel appointed for a one-year term ending December 31, 2025 replacing Chad Beumer.
Alternative Options:
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Financial Impacts:
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Tentative Timelines:
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