Ordinance 2927 and Staff ReportCITY OF ALAMEDA ORDINANCE NO. 2927
New Series
AMENDING THE ALAMEDA MUICIPAL CODE BY AMENDING
SUBSECTION 2-2 (MEMBERSHIP; TERM OF OFFICE;
REMOVAL) AND 2-3 (QUALIFICATIONS; QUORUM; VOTING)
OF SECTION 2-8 (TRANSPORTATION) OF CHAPER II
(ADMINISTRATION) TO REDUCE THE SIZE OF THE
TRASPORTATION COMMISSION FROM NIN TO SEVEN
MEMBERS; ALLOW FOR STAGGERED TERMS AN TO REDUCE
THE SIZE OF THE QUORUM FROM FIVE TO FOUR MEMBERS
BE IT ORDAIND by the City Council of the City of Alameda that:
Section 1 The Alameda Municipal Code is hereby amended by amending
subsection 2-8.2 (Membership; Term Of Office; Removal) of Section 2-8 (Transportation
Commission) of Chapter II (Administration) to read as follows:
Membership: Term of Offce; Removal.
The Transportation Commission shall consist of seven (7) voting members
a: nominated by the Mayor and appointed by Council. The voting members shall be selected to
represent a diversity of transportation modes and be balance between commuter, business , and
I- recreational use. The term ofthe appointed representative shall be four (4) years. Terms shall be0: staggered so
that one-third of the terms expires in three consecutive years , which shall be
implemented by a one-time term of two years for two seats and three years for two seats.
Appointed representatives shall serve a maximum of two full terms plus any unexpired term.
Any appointed member may be removed by majority vote of the City Council.
vacancy in the offce of any such member shall be filled and appointed in the maner
hereinabove set forth and shall be for the unexpired portion of the term of office vacated.
Section 2.The Alameda Municipal Code is hereby amended by amending
subsection 2-3 (Qualification; Quoru; Voting) of Section 2-8 (Transportation Commission)
of Chapter II (Administration) to read as follows:
Qualification; Quorum; Voting.
The seven (7) appointed representatives of the Transportation Commission shall
at the time of their appointment and continuously during their incumbency, either be residents of
the City of Alameda or employed by a business operating within the City. A maximum of two
(2) appointees can be non-residents of Alameda. A quoru will consist of four (4) members of
the Transportation Commission. The vote of four (4) members shall be necessary for any action
of the Transportation Commission.
Section 3. This Ordinanye shall be in full force and effect from and after the
expiration of thirty (30) days from the date of its final passage.
Presiding O
Attest:
we;l5
Lara Weisiger , City C
City of Alameda
******
, the undersigned , hereby certify that the foregoing Ordinance was duly and regularly
adopted and passed by the Council of the City of Alameda in a reguar meeting assembled on the 20
day of July, 2004 by the followig vote to wit:
AYES:Councilmembers Daysog, Gilmore , Kerr , Matarese
and Mayor Johnson - 5.
NOES:None.
ABSENT:None.
ABSTENTIONS:None.
IN WITNSS , WHREOF , I have hereunto set my hand and affxed the offcial seal of said City ths
day of July, 2004.
. ..
evt? J/-r
Lara Weisiger, City
City of Alameda
CITY OF ALAMEDA
MEMORANDUM
Date: June 22 , 2004
To:Honorable Mayor and
Councilmembers
From: James M. Flint
City Manager
Re:Introduction of Ordinance Amending the Alameda Municipal Code (AMC) Section 2-8.2
to Reduce the Size of the Transportation Commission from Nine to Seven Members and
to Allow for Staggered Terms and to Amend Section 2 -8.3 to Reduce the Size 0 fthe
Quorum of the TC From Five to Four Members
BACKGROUN
At the May 4 , 2004 , Council meeting, City Manager presented an ordinance to reduce the size of
the Transportation Commission (TC) and to allow for staggered terms. Council asked City
Manager to investigate the turnover and staggering of the terms of other City boards
commissions and committees including the Public Ar Advisory Committee so that there would
be citywide consistency.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS
The practice of staggering the terms of a Board , Commission or Committee , hereafter referred to
as an offcial group, ensures that there is minimum disruption to the composition of the group in
question in order to preserve institutional knowledge and so that the work of the body in question
is impacted as little as possible. In the case of the TC , it also presents more frequent
opportunities to appoint members in order to keep the membership balanced between
commuter, business, and recreational use " as stated in the ordinance establishing the TC.
Staff researched all thirteen City Boards and Commissions as well as three City Committees.
these sixteen groups, the fifteen with four-year terms are presented in Table 1. There are nine
five-person groups , three seven-person groups and two nine-person commissions , (of which one
is the TC). The Mayor s Committee on Disability Issues is currently in flux and is transitioning
from eight to eleven members. Table 1 presents the name of the offcial group, the number of
. members , and the number of years within the four-year cycle where at least one member s term
expires. This latter number reflects how the terms are staggered: two years indicates that every
other year about half of the terms expire and new members must be appointed or reappointed
three indicates t hat a bout 0 ne- third 0 f t he terms expire i n three c onsecuti ve years 0 f t he four
year-cycle , and four indicates that every year of the four-year cycle , about one-fourth of the
terms expire.
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Re: Introduction of Ordinance
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Honorable Mayor and
Councilmembers
Page 2
June 22 , 2004
The number of staggered terms per four-year cycle was also analyzed. As presented in Table I
only four of the 14 groups stagger their membership every two years , and all of these have five
members. The four official groups with a size similar to the TC , i.e. seven or nine members , are
the Housing Commission, the Social Service Human Relations Board and the Planning Board, all
with seven members , and the Economic Development Commission with nine members. Three
these four groups have staggered terms with three rotations within the four-year cycle where one-
third of the members turnover in three consecutive years. The Planing Board , the fourh , has
turnover in every year of the four-year cycle: 2-2-and I. Of the nine groups with five
members , four have at least one term expiring every year of the four-year cycle. Four of the nine
turn over half their membership every two years , including the Public Ar Advisory Committee.
The ninth , the Historical Advisory Board , turs over members in three years of the four-year
cycle. Based on this research it seem most appropriate for the TC to have staggered terms
similar to the other seven or nine-member commissions i.e. with one-third of the membership
rotating in three consecutive years of the four-year cycle.
On September 25 , 2002 , the TC's first meeting, a random drawing was conducted in order to
stagger the nine terms so that they all did not expire in 2006. Based on the drawing, four (4)
terms were identified to expire in 2004 , (Spangler , Barry, Ratto and Clem). With the
recommended reduction in membership from 9 to 7 , only 2 commission openings would befilled. It is also recommended that the TC have staggered terms similar to the other seven or
nine-member committees i.e. with one-third of the members rotating in three consecutive years
of the four- year cycle.
To fill the two positions , the standard procedure would be followed:
. The City Clerk would advertise the available positions (a press release was distributed on
April 26 , 2004 , and three applications have been received as of June 2004);
. Incumbents may reapply and be considered along with other applicants;
. The Mayor would recommend to Council two nominees to fill the vacated seats whose
terms would expire in 2008.
. Council wil vote on the two nominees.
To stagger the terms in one-third increments , a random drawing of the remaining 5 members
would be conducted to identified the two members whose terms would expire in 2005 and the
remaining three members ' terms would expire as scheduled in 2006.
BUDGET CONSIDERA TION/FINANCIAL IMP ACT
There is no impact to the General Fund for this change.
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June 22 2004
RECOMMENDATION
The City Manager recommends that the City Council introduce the proposed ordinance to amend
AMC Section 2-8.2 to reduce the size of the TC from nine to seven members and to allow for
staggered terms and to amend Section 2-3 to reduce the size of the quorum ofthe TC from five
to four members. The City Manager also recommends that the City Council accept the staggered
terms by one-third rotation using the methodology described above.
Matthew T. Naclerio
Public Works Director
By:Michelle DeRobertis P.
Associate Civil Engineer
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Board or Commission #of # of yrs in 4-yr cycle that
(four-vear terms)Members terms expire
Civil Service Board
(2/1/1/1 )
Economic Development Commission (3/3/3)
Golf Commission
(2/1/1/1 )
Historical Advisory Board (1/2/2)
Housing/Building Code Appeals Board
(1/4 )
Housing Commission (3/2/2)
Library Board (2/1/1/1
Planning Board 4 C
(2/2/2/1 )
Public Utilities Board (1/1/1/1)
10. Recreation And Park Commission
(3/2)
11. Social Service Human Relations Board
(3/2/2)
12. Transportation Commission (recommend)(2/2/3)
Committees (four-year terms)
Public Arts Advisory Committee.2 A
(3/2)
Cable TV Advisory Committee 2 C
(2/3)
Mayor s Committee on Disability Issues 8 -Proposed 2 (5/6)
Note A: Terms shall be staggered so that the number of terms expiring any year shall not differ
(by) more than one (1) from the number of terms expiring in any other year.
Note B: Staggering of terms is not specified in ordinance or charter
Note C: Staggering of terms is specified in ordinance or charter
(2/1/1/1) - # of seats that expire in each rotation of the 4 year cvcle
TABLE 1 -CITY OF ALAMEDA BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS
MEMBERSHIP TURNOVER
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