Costa Mesa council set to fill 3 vacant commissions, and may empty more panels
A month after vacating all the appointments on three city commissions, the Costa Mesa City Council next week is set to restock those bodies and discuss whether to make sweeping changes to several other city panels.
During their meeting Tuesday, council members are expected to officially fill the 17 open seats on the planning, senior and parks and recreation commissions.
The commissions haven’t met since the council voted 3-2 on Jan. 3 to vacate all existing appointments and launch a new search for members.
Supporters of the move praised it as a way to open new opportunities for civic involvement, while opponents decried it as a political power grab.
Over about a two-week period, the city received 36 applications for the five seats on the Planning Commission, 28 for the five spots on the Parks and Recreation Commission and 15 for the seven-member Senior Commission.
Council members reviewed the applicants and chose about 30 to interview during a pair of special meetings last month.
The council originally had planned to make appointments to the commissions this week but opted to put them off.
At Tuesday’s meeting, council members will rank their preferred applicants. The city clerk will then add up each applicant’s score and announce the top vote-getters, who will be appointed, according to a city staff report.
The Planning Commission reviews issues related to local land use and development and has authority to take final action on certain applications.
The senior and parks commissions discuss issues on those topics and advise the council.
Planning commissioners receive a stipend of $400 a month for twice-monthly meetings. Senior and parks commissioners get a $100-per-month stipend.
The council also could decide Tuesday to create a slew of openings on city committees.
Council members will consider declaring that the term for anyone serving on a city committee or board will expire at the end of March.
That would apply to the Access Building, Fire and Housing Board of Appeal, Cultural Arts Committee, Finance Advisory Committee, Historical Preservation Committee, Housing and Public Service Grants Committee, Pension Oversight Committee, Bikeway and Walkability Committee, Traffic Impact Fee Ad Hoc Committee, Fairview Park Citizens Advisory Committee and Charter Committee.
Those panels vary in scope, size and length of members’ terms. Generally speaking, committees are advisory.
Should the council move forward with clearing out the committees, the city would start a member recruitment process.
Council members also will consider merging the finance advisory and pension oversight committees and dissolving the charter and 60th-anniversary committees, neither of which has met in years.
Other proposed changes include creating a Youth Sports Committee, making the Military Affairs Team a formal city committee and replacing the Fairview Park Citizens Advisory Committee with a Fairview Park Steering Committee.
Tuesday’s council meeting will start at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 77 Fair Drive.
Twitter: @LukeMMoney
