TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THRU: Tom Kisela, City Manager
FROM: Leslie Hardy, Community & Library Services Director
1. Subject
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Reconsideration of the frequency of the Park Planning and Community Events Commission meetings.
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2. Summary
Reconsideration of the frequency of the Park Planning and Community Events Commission meetings to better align with the current needs of the organization.
3. Recommended Action
recommendation
Provide direction to staff regarding the frequency of the Park Planning and Community Events Commission meetings.
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4. Fiscal Impact
None.
5. Strategic Plan Goals
Goal 3: Enhance Public Communication Strategy and Quality of Life
Objective 3.7: Continue to offer high quality and efficient city led recreation programs.
6. Discussion and Background
The City Council reinstated the Park Planning and Development Commission and revised the commission to become the Park Planning and Community Events Commission (Commission) at the September 14, 2021 City Council meeting. Chapter 2.60 of the Orange Municipal Code (OMC) was updated at that time to reflect the new name and role of the Commission and the City Council adopted Resolution No. 11355 setting a quarterly meeting schedule for the revised Commission.
At its March 28, 2023 City Council meeting, the City Council voted to increase the meeting frequency from four times per year (quarterly), to six times per year. Resolution No. 11466 fixed an annual meeting schedule of six meetings per year on the 3rd Tuesday of January, March, May, July, September, and October beginning with the January 2024 meeting.
In June 2024, due to significant budgetary challenges, the City Council voted to cancel City-Sponsored events effective after the 2024 3rd of July Celebration. As a result, the first two Commission meetings of the 2025 calendar year had been cancelled, due to a lack of agenda items.
At this time, the Council is being asked to reconsider the frequency of the Commission meetings to better align with the current needs of the organization, given the reduction in Community Services budget and staff for the following reasons:
• The Commission is a recommending body; no official action is taken
• At this time, there is no funding allocated nor staff to plan and implement special events
• While there are currently no new park planning projects that require the Commission’s input, collection of public input can be facilitated through a standard community input meeting on an as needed basis (i.e. input on design of a new amenity, etc);
• Preparation for Commission meetings is staff-intensive, requiring considerable time and resources, including research, report writing, and coordination with Community Services, the City Clerk, and the City Attorney’s office
• The Community Services Department, who facilitates the Commission Meetings, is operating with 50 percent of their full-time staff in the Recreation Division
Given these factors, it is requested that the Council reconsider and provide direction regarding the frequency of Commission meetings. Some potential options for the Council’s consideration include:
• Reduce the frequency of meetings to a lesser number per year or to be scheduled on an as needed basis as determined by the Department or Council
• Determine that the Commission go dormant for a time to be determined by the Council until such a time when circumstances and needs of the organization change
• Dissolve the Commission and reinstate if/when determined appropriate by the Council
Based on direction provided by Council, staff will return at a future City Council meeting with a recommended action.
7. ATTACHMENTS
• None