AGENDA #5d
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Council Member Mark Kleinschmidt
SUBJECT: Alternatives for Recruiting for Town Boards and Commissions
DATE: January 13, 2005
Since June of 2003, a Council Committee has been studying the applicant interview processes of Town advisory boards. Currently, the Town’s Boards and Commissions are reviewing recommended changes to the process. During the process to appoint members to the Budget Review Advisory Committee, I recognized some other issues relating to our Town advisory board processes that the Council may want to take under consideration. One issue is that the Council tends to appoint members from a limited pool of applicants. Another, which I would like address in this memorandum, is that minority citizens are not participating in our boards and commissions, and by extension, Town Government.
BACKGROUND
The Council Procedures Manual sets out a nomination and appointment process to be followed when recruiting applicants for advisory boards and commissions. This process was developed by a Council Committee and adopted by the Council to establish a means of recruitment and selection of applicants for vacancies on Town advisory boards and commissions. The Council is permitted to revise the policy as it wishes.
The process is outlined as follows:
Recruitment of citizens to serve on advisory boards continues throughout the year, as mid-year vacancies frequently occur. Applications are kept on file in the Town Clerk’s Office through two spring recruitment cycles, unless notified by the applicant that they no longer wish to be considered for a vacancy. Applicants are contacted prior to their names being placed on a ballot to ensure their continued interest in serving on an advisory board.[1]
DISCUSSION
The Town’s population is approximately 52,000. The racial composition of Chapel Hill is predominately white and black with those groups comprising 78 percent and 11 percent of the population respectively.[2] Asian and Pacific Islanders and persons of Hispanic origin comprise substantially smaller population segments; however, these two groups have been increasing at the highest rate.[3]
The chart below includes all of the permanent advisory boards and a number of ad-hoc committees. In this sampling, of 182 Town vacancies, only twelve (12) appointees were minorities. Since minorities comprise up to 22 percent of the population, based on 182 Town vacancies, to fully achieve a goal of proportional representation would require 40 minority appointments.
|
Board/Commission |
Total Membership |
Town Membership |
Minorities |
Vacancies |
|
Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board |
10 |
6 |
0 |
1 |
|
Board of Adjustment |
15 |
12 |
1 (HM) |
0 |
|
Public Arts Commission |
18 |
Not less than 11 |
0 |
3 |
|
Community Design Commission |
15 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
|
Greenways Commission |
7 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
|
Historic District Commission |
10 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
|
Housing and Community Development Advisory Board |
9 |
5 |
1 (BM) |
0* |
|
Human Services Advisory Board |
7 |
7 |
2 (BF, BM) |
0 |
|
Library Board of Trustees |
9 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
|
Orange Water and Sewer Authority |
9 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
|
Parks and Recreation Commission |
11 |
10 |
2 (BM) |
0 |
|
Personnel Appeals Committee |
8 |
8 |
2 (BF, AM) |
0 |
|
Planning Board |
10 |
7 |
1 (BF) |
1 |
|
Stormwater Management Utility Advisory Board |
11 |
11 |
0 |
1 |
|
Technology Committee |
15 |
Not less than 11 |
1 (BM) |
1 |
|
Transportation Board |
10 |
9 |
0 |
0 |
|
Chapel Hill Active Living by Design Partnership Advisory Committee |
21 |
4 |
1 (BF) |
1 |
|
Horace Williams Citizen’s Committee |
22 |
16 |
0 |
0 |
|
Library Building Committee |
11 |
2+ |
0 |
|
|
Steering Committee for Million Solar Roofs Initiative |
15 |
15 |
0 |
9 |
|
Old Chapel Hill Cemetery Task Force |
10 |
5 |
1 (BF) |
0 |
|
Town Operations Center Design Advisory Committee |
22 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
[1] Chapel Hill Town Council August 25,2003 Agenda Item #5g
[1] U.S. Census Data, 2000.
[1] Town of Chapel Hill 2003 Data Book. March 2003 at page 3.1
*The Board includes three members that must be public housing residents. There is 1 vacancy within this category. The other two members are black females.
RECOMMENDATION
Although I do not recommend quotas be adopted that would mandate a prescribed level of minority representation on boards and commissions, I believe we can do a better job recruiting applicants and consequently provide Council with a more diverse pool of nominees.
Currently, the Town Clerk advertises advisory board vacancies in a local newspaper, on the Town’s web site, and on the government access channel (Channel 18). I suggest we expand recruitment areas to include professional list serves, non profit list serves, volunteer newsletters, and at the University. We should also post the vacancies at the Public Library, Senior Centers and Community Centers.
There are many other ways in which the Town can reach out to our underrepresented communities. I suggest this become a Council goal and that the Council Communications Committee or other appropriate body work with the Clerk’s office to develop an action plan.