City Council Meeting Date: May 20, 2025
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Ben Martig, City Administrator
Sara Hoffman, Deputy City Clerk/Executive Assistant
Title
Board and Commission Governance Discussion
Body
Action Requested:
The Northfield City Council will receive an update on the ongoing board and commission governance work. Staff will ask for input and feedback on specific proposals as outlined below.
Summary Report:
Background
A Board and Commission Governance Effectiveness Review was initiated in late 2021 in response to a 2021-2024 Strategic Plan initiative.
As part of initial research, staff looked at board/commission survey results, board and commission processes at that time, gaps in these processes, opportunities for improvement, what initiatives other cities have executed, and did a thorough comparison of Northfield boards and commissions and comparative city boards and commissions.
The next steps were to create and implement processes and changes in response to the information gathered in step one. Staff members, City Attorney Hood, and select Council members and board/commission members served on an ad hoc committee to offer guidance to the City Council. Outcomes of this phase included:
• Alignment of board and commission meeting times so no boards/commissions meet on Tuesdays or regularly meet on the same night as other boards/commissions, all boards/commissions meet in the evening (usually 6:00pm), and most boards/commissions meet in the Council Chambers allowing the meetings to be livestreamed and recorded.
• Creation of a Board and Commission Rules of Business separate from the Council version.
• Creation of a City Council and Board and Commission Member Guide which offers orientation for new members and guidance for existing members.
• Creation of a Board and Commissions Staff Liaison Guide which offers guidance for staff overseeing a board or commission.
• Review and edit of the Ethics Disclosure Form and the process of distributing that annually.
• Standardizing an annual board/commission onboarding and orientation process, which includes training videos for members and chairs.
• Created board/commission handouts to use for the recruitment of new members.
• Removing bylaws but creating standardized section of code (Ordinance 1061) so all boards and commission can operate in line except for differences required by state statute, code, or enabling legislations.
Next Steps
Staff will go over the initiatives currently in process in a presentation at the meeting. Initiatives as part of the next phase of governance review include:
• Review and amending sections of city code related to individual boards and commissions, as well as any updates to the standardized, shared section of code identified since the 2024 update. A redline draft of an ordinance updating code is attached (attachment #1). Administration staff will continue to consult with relevant City staff and review and edit this draft further based on Council feedback. Changes identified by staff during review of these sections of code include:
o Updates to the Arts and Culture Commission (ACC) which would change the scope of the ACC to focus only on public art initiatives and not arts and culture as it’s more broadly focused on now.
o Change in name for the Northfield Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention. This change was requested by the Board.
o Minor updates to board/commission sections to remove outdated code and to better align with existing ways of working.
• Possible combination of boards/commissions. No examples of this yet. This is under review.
• Evaluate the current size of boards/commission and determine if it would be better to decrease the size of some or all. No recommendations yet. Under review.
• Shift the timeline of board/commission appointments to allow for appointments by a new mayor (when applicable) and align the appointments of new members with youth members.
• Review the role of City Council members on boards, commissions, and committees. Currently, Council Members are on an average of 4-5 boards, commissions, committees, or subcommittees each in addition to their Council responsibilities.
Alternative Options:
Staff will be providing the below suggested options to Council during the meeting and will be requesting any input related to these topics.
Council Board, Commission, and Committee Liaison Roles
Option #1 - Required Only
Council liaisons will only be appointed to boards, commissions, or committees required by statute, code, agreement, etc.
Option #2 - Required Plus Other Predetermined Select
Council liaisons will be appointed to boards, commissions, or committees required by statute, code, agreement, etc. as well as other select boards, commissions, or committees that are not required but are determined by Council as needing a Council liaison.
Option #3 - Current Process
Council liaisons will be appointed to boards, commissions, or committees required by statute, code, agreement, etc. as well as any boards, commissions, or committees identified by Council or the Mayor; may change from year to year as deemed necessary.
Board and Commission Timeline
Option #1 - Leave as is
Appointment process officially starts in June, appointments made in October, and terms start in January. A copy of the current timeline is attached (attachment #2).
Option #2 - Shift process later
Appointment process would officially start in October, appointments made in April, and terms start in May. This would align with youth appointments and the starts of their terms and would allow a newly appointment Mayor to make appointments for the first year of their term. A draft timeline of this change is attached (attachment #3).
Financial Impacts:
N/A
Tentative Timelines:
June 3, 2025 First Reading of Ordinance updating City Code
June 17, 2025 Second Reading of Ordinance updating City Code
June 25, 2025 Publication of Ordinance updating City Code
July 25, 2025 Ordinance updating City Code takes effect