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12-08-2022 VC WS-MPresent: ROLL CALL MINUTES OF WORKSHOP SESSION VILLAGE COUNCIL OF NORTH PALM BEACH, FLORIDA DECEMBER 8, 2022 Deborah Searcy, Mayor David B. Norris, Vice Mayor Susan Bickel, President Pro Tem Darryl C. Aubrey, Sc.D., Councilmember Mark Mullinix, Councilmember Chuck Huff, Interim Village Manager Leonard G. Rubin, Village Attorney Jessica Green, Village Clerk Mayor Searcy called the meeting to order at 7:48 p.m. All members of Council were present. All members of staff were present. All Department Directors were present. BOARDS AND COMMITTEES: APPOINTMENT PROCESS AND PROVISIONS Mrs. Green outlined the agenda for the evening, explaining staff was bringing forward a review of the Village Board and Committee appointment process in response to concerns brought forward by both Council and residents. Mrs. Green explained items for consideration included: • Appointment Process • Code Provisions related to Village Boards and Committees • Boards and Committees Policies and Procedures • Creation of a Board or Committee for Former Board Members Ms. Green provided a brief review of the existing process and noted residents had expressed concern that the process resulted in the incumbents being reselected the majority of the time. Mrs. Green added that residents had also brought forth issues with the interview process and interview questions and had asked why applications were accepted and interviews conducted if the incumbents would be reappointed. APPOINTMENT PROCES Mrs. Green reviewed potential options to create a fair and equitable appointment process, including: Implementing term limits would eliminate the need for voting for reappointments and provide opportunities for new applicants. Village Council Workshop Session held December 8, 2022 Page 2 of 5 APPOINTMENT PROCESS continued Interviews could be conducted outside of a Council meeting by the Mayor or Chair or Vice - chairperson of the relevant board. Questions would be more specific and relevant to the board for which they are applying. Candidates would be selected in this manner and the selections could then be ratified by Council. If Council wished to reappoint all incumbents, new applications would not be considered and one vote to reappoint all incumbents could be made at a Council meeting prior to considering new applications. Members may be appointed by nomination whereby each Councilmember nominates one board member and applicants are voted in by a majority vote. BOARD MEMBER TERMS Mrs. Green outlined a proposal to consider a limit to board member terms, explaining the change would ensure all residents who are interested in volunteering for a board or committee would have the opportunity to serve, and would bring new ideas to the boards and committees. Mrs. Green reviewed potential terms, including one (1) six (6) year term, two (2) consecutive three (3) year terms, or three (3) consecutive two (2) year terms. Mrs. Green noted this may be soft term limits which allowed a board member to take a term off or join a different board. REMOVAL OF BOARD MEMBERS Ms. Green recommended Council consider a change to Section 2-1(m)(2) of the Village Code regarding board member absences. She reviewed the current provision and stated there had not previously been action taken in response to notification of board member absenteeism. She discussed options to consider, including: • Three (3) absences would be considered a resignation and automatic dismissal. • Allow for excused and unexcused absences and automatically dismiss after three (3) unexcused absences. • Consider immediate dismissal of Board members for conduct unbecoming or disorderly at the discretion of the Village Manager. MEETINGS Mrs. Green suggested changes to the following as it relates to the policy and procedure surrounding board meetings: • Board/Committee Chairpersons o Appoint new chairperson each year. • Board member recommendations/reports to Council o Require a board member or staff member report to Council at a Council meeting whenever a recommendation is made by the board. o Require a monthly or quarterly report. • Standardized agenda for all boards o Require a standardized agenda similar to the Council meeting agenda's order of business to be utilized by each board or committee. Village Council Workshop Session held December 8, 2022 Page 3 of 5 CREATION OF NEW BOARD OR COMMITTEE Mrs. Green highlighted the idea of creating a new board specifically for former board members, noting suggestions included creation of an Honorary or Emeritus Board or a Charter Review Committee to utilize the skills of past board members. Mrs. Green shared sample policies from Highland Beach, Palm Beach, and Lake Park for discussion and review. PUBLIC COMMENTS Mayor Searcy read a written public comment into the record from Amber Privett, 845 Dogwood Road, in support of reforming the policies related to filling vacancies on boards and committees. Mayor Searcy opened the meeting to public comment. Chris Ryder, 118 Dory Road South, stated that he believed the Village's boards and committees were an underutilized asset. Mr. Ryder asserted that the Recreation Board's actions had been an issue, and noted that the Waterways Board was not meeting at appropriate intervals. Mr. Ryder stated the boards and committees should meet monthly and should designate members to attend the meetings of other boards and committees. Mr. Ryder stated that he was also in favor of term limits, paying members of the Planning Commission, and making meeting materials available in advance. Mr. Ryder stated that staff recommendations should not be a part of the process. Rita Budnyk, 804 Shore Drive, stated she was a newer member of the Recreation Board, and agreed there should be changes made. Ms. Budnyk recognized that there were a number of qualified and talented people in the community who were interested in serving, and stated that talent should be taken advantage of. Ms. Budnyk spoke in support of a process that did not automatically appoint incumbents, term limits, and a meaningful application process. Ms. Budnyk stated she thought the interview process should continue to be in front of Council. DISCUSSION Councilmember Aubrey stated that he believed the most recent application process had been unsatisfactory. Councilmember Aubrey stated that appointments should not be advertised unless there were openings on the boards or committees, and that the respective board chairpersons should be included in the interview process. Councilmember Aubrey stated that he was in support of term limits but did not feel a new chairperson each year was necessary. Discussion ensued regarding institutional knowledge and other considerations related to the Board chairpersons. Councilmember Aubrey stated he agreed that three (3) unexcused absences was grounds for removal from a board, but questioned what would be considered excused and unexcused. Councilmember Aubrey stated that specificity was required. President Pro Tem Bickel stated that the position of chairperson should rotate as it does with the Council. President Pro Tem Bickel stated that the matter of excused absences put people in a tricky position and stated there should be an absence policy that made service a priority. Village Council Workshop Session held December 8, 2022 Page 4 of 5 DISCUSSION continued Vice Mayor Norris stated he did not like term limits, as there would be a resulting loss of proprietary knowledge. Vice Mayor Norris asserted that each board should be open to public comment. Discussion ensued, and the consensus was that each agenda item should be open to public comment. Vice Mayor Norris expressed concern that good board members might be replaced with residents who were not informed on the issues, and suggested involvement of the chairpersons may help to alleviate this because they would know who was attending their meetings. Vice Mayor Norris stated that there should be a policy regarding absence, and excused absences should require advance notice. Discussion ensued as to how frequently boards should meet. Councilmember Mullinix stated he was not in favor of term limits and that he agreed with Councilmember Aubrey that staff should determine whether there were openings before advertising board positions and that the board should be involved in the selection process. Councilmember Mullinix added that he believed changing the chair every year made sense, and asserted that the boards needed to meet with a regular frequency with a standard agenda and standard procedures. Mayor Searcy stated she agreed there should be a minimum number of meetings with standard agendas, term limits, and that board members should be dismissed after missing three (3) meetings with a process which allowed for appeal to the Village Manager. Mayor Searcy stated that there also needed to be a process for removal for inappropriate conduct. Mayor Searcy stated that she believed there should be a new Chair each year and board members should be required to attend three (3) Council meetings per year. Discussion continued regarding reports from the boards and committees to Council and attendance at meetings by board members. Mayor Searcy suggested that if Council was not in favor of term limits, they expand the number of board members to create additional opportunities for resident involvement. Discussion ensued on the advantages and disadvantages of expanding board membership. Mayor Searcy suggested an ad-hoc committee or sub -committee of the Recreation Board consisting of parents of children involved in Village youth sports programs and activities. Discussion continued. Mr. Huff shared additional comments on the recommendations, noting his experience was that structure was needed in order to improve the process. Discussion continued regarding opportunities to involve new retirees and the parents of young children with boards and committees, addressing resident concerns regarding automatic reappointment of incumbents, and term limits. Village Council Workshop Session held December 8, 2022 Page 5 of 5 ( " Council came to consensus to do the following: • Create a policy that if a board or committee member is absent from three (3) meetings, the Village Clerk shall notify the member in writing that he or she shall be removed from the board or committee. • Utilize the newsletter to encourage attendance at Board and Committee meetings. • Reappointments of board and committee members may be considered at a separate Council meeting and before advertising any board or committee openings. • Hold an annual meeting at the beginning of each year to set out board member expectations and train on Sunshine Law • Standardize agenda between Boards • Codify change of the chairperson annually • Majority of boards (with exceptions as appropriate) should meet monthly • Village Manager should have discretion to remove a board member for conduct unbecoming • Revisit the reappointment and appointment policy in February 2023 ADJOURNMENT With no further business to come before the Council, the meeting was adjourned at 8:58 p.m. J ica Green, MMC, Village Clerk