A City Case Study: Dunedin
by Sandra L. Woodall, MMC
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Citizen advisory committees, boards and task forces have become a very popular way to involve citizens in their local government – and possibly even to encourage them to consider seeking election to public office.
The City of Dunedin, in Pinellas County, has approximately 39 boards and committees, most of which have three-year appointments. They vary in size depending upon their specific task.
Dunedin’s city attorney and I worked diligently to determine the types of committees that were needed and their definitions prior to putting together an enabling resolution that established each one and set forth its duties and responsibilities. The resolution also states that once a member has missed three consecutive meetings, he or she is removed from the committee for nonattendance. The city attorney has determined that there is no difference between an excused and an unexcused absence.
Advisory committees are advisory to the city manager and city commission.
Boards, meanwhile, are established by state statute, ordinance or other regulatory agency, and are quasi-judicial in nature.
A task force is appointed for a set time and project. When the project is completed, usually within 60 to 180 days, the task force then is “sunset.”
Once the categories are determined, enabling resolutions are adopted for each committee. The commission also assigns staggered terms, so that all appointments will not come due at the same time. A roster is kept for each committee, board and task force; the roster provides names, addresses, phone numbers, dates of appointment, terms, and the names of previous members of the committee.
One month prior to the end of his or her term, the committee member is notified by letter and asked if he or she wishes to be considered for reappointment. The chairman of the committee also is notified and asked to make a recommendation for reappointment. The clerk then puts the item on the agenda for appointment/reappointment. The commission selects the appointee from the applications provided to it.
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A three-ring binder is kept of all applications received from citizens interested in serving on boards and committees for the city. Once every two years, the applications are purged and new applications are sent to citizens for update. The city uses newspaper articles, word of mouth and its Leisure Services Bulletin to notify citizens of openings. The clerk’s office and the coordinator of volunteers work together to find interested citizens to serve on the various boards and committees.
The city developed a “Board/Committee Handbook” that contains a brief description of each board and committee, along with dates, times and locations of meetings. An application to be filled out and return to the City Clerk’s Office is included in the brochure.
Each committee elects a chair, vice chair and secretary for a one-year term. Minutes are kept for each board/committee and filed with the city clerk, as required by state statute.
Committees are required by the enabling resolution to file a written report with the commission at least once a year. The report details the accomplishments of the committee for the preceding year and its current and future projects and goals. The report must be filed by March 31 of each year. The committee also has the option to make a personal report to the commission; in that event, the city clerk will notify the chairman of the committee when the report has been placed on the agenda.
For city staff, maintenance of citizen advisory committees can be very time-consuming. Nevertheless, such committees provide a vital role in keeping citizen’s actively involved in the workings of their local government.
Sandra L. Woodall, MMC, is the city clerk for the City of Dunedin. She is active in the International Institute of Municipal Clerks as one of the directors from Region III. She also has served in all capacities of the board for the Florida Association of City Clerks, and served as its president in 1987. For more information, she may be contacted by phone at (727) 298-3034 or via e-mail at SWoodall@DUNEDINFL.NET.
Reprinted from Quality Cities March/April 2004
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