Gilroy city officials are looking to reduce the number of advisory commissions, pointing to difficulties in recruiting and retaining members to the more than a dozen boards.
The duties of the Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization Committee, Historic Heritage Committee, Bicycle Pedestrian Commission and Street Naming Committee are proposed to be absorbed into the Planning and Parks and Recreation commissions, according to Senior Management Analyst Bryce Atkins.
Such a move would cut the number of commissions from 13 to nine.
Some members of the Gilroy City Council on Dec. 13 requested more information on the commissions, such as an attendance report, before they could make a decision on the reduction plan. The item will return to the council in January.
Mayor Marie Blankley said the consolidation plan stemmed from the frequent number of times the city opened the board recruitment process over the past year, as well as the amount of interviews the council conducted to fill vacant seats.
At the end of 2020, the city’s recruitment process to fill 23 seats on various commissions netted 42 applications. Most of the interest was in the Planning Commission, Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization Committee and Bicycle Pedestrian Commission. Two boards, the Building Board of Appeals and Physically Challenged Board of Appeals, received no applications.
The council appointed members to the vacant seats in early 2021.
Throughout the year, at least 10 vacancies occurred among the various commissions, either from resignations or removals due to unexcused absences, per a Dispatch review of the council’s agendas over 2021, which resulted in multiple rounds of recruiting and interviewing. Human Resources Director LeeAnn McPhillips said three commissioners were removed from their seats from May to November due to lack of attendance.
In 2020, there were at least two vacancies that occurred, according to agendas.
Blankley said having fewer commissions would help streamline the recruiting process.
“It’s a lot less confusing for both the public and the commissioners when you have fewer commissions, fewer agendas to follow,” she said. “It doesn’t change the public’s ability to participate in each of those commissions.”
Councilmember Peter Leroe-Munoz pointed to his time on the Historic Heritage Committee, saying the board would go months without a meeting because there wasn’t anything to discuss. It’s an issue that faces other commissions as well, according to Leroe-Munoz.
“It’s not just having a hard time recruiting for these roles, it’s not just sometimes there’s a lack of attendance at these meetings, but a lot of the time, there simply isn’t enough content to have a meeting,” he said.
Councilmember Rebeca Armendariz suggested the city not consolidate the commissions, but rather reduce the frequency of some to save staff time.
She said most of the commissions received more applications than seats available at the beginning of the year. Adding even more duties to the planning commission, she noted, would likely discourage people from applying in the future.
“I’m not sure what my colleagues are referring to,” Armendariz said. “We’ve never seen such a high amount of applications from people wanting to serve their community in this way.”
Gary Walton said he’s talked to many of the people who have served on the various commissions.
“They kind of felt they weren’t able to accomplish anything,” he said, suggesting the city reach out to the commissions to gather feedback. “I think the word’s gotten out in the community, that if you sit on a board, not much happens.”
The Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization Committee wasn’t aware of the discussion to consolidate until it saw it posted on the Dec. 13 meeting agenda, according to chair Vanessa Ashford.
“That would speak to a lack of communication we experience often when trying to do committee work,” she said. “It would serve city staff and the council to seek feedback from committees, current and past members, as to why they are leaving or choosing not to rejoin or what they may need.”
Note: Vanessa Ashford is an advertising representative for the Gilroy Dispatch.
