Brilliant!

Inspired!

How has this idea not been thought of before?  And if it had, how is it that no one has implemented it yet?  

At Issue:  1) How should Stakeholder Advisory Committees (SAC) and Citizen Advisory Committees (CAC) be formed, and  2) how should they function?

Note:  I am not referring to the established Boards and Commissions.  The CACs and SACs in this discussion are the ad-hoc committees formed for a special purpose such as helping work on the Foothills Development Plan or the Second Look Task Force.  

This is one of those things that has been a mystery to almost everyone:  Where do ad-hoc CACs come from?  They seem to appear out of nowhere, with many of the same people being recycled through one committee after another.  How does one get into this rarified club?  It is incomprehensible how anyone can say that today's SACs represent the citizens' voice, .

Current procedure:  Staff, typically employees of the Planning Department recruit people from established boards or community groups, and then select individuals to be on a committee.  They present the list of names to the City Council for approval.  

At the last meeting of the Commission for Citizen Involvement, Commissioner Adrienne Brockman explained an idea of how Stakeholder Advisory Committees (SACs) might work and give true meaning to the word "citizen" and a voice for the public's interests rather than that of special interest groups.  I encourage everyone to watch the video of the meeting for a better understanding of Commissioner A. Brockman's proposal.

Proposed:  A committee open to any citizen with a strong interest in the land use issue.  Instead of trying to get different types of expertise on the committee itself, the citizen committee would invite special interest groups (land owners, real estate professionals, neighborhood associations, business groups, etc.) to give presentations to the group. The SAC in this scenario would be filtering various groups' needs with the city's best interests in mind, because citizens are the biggest stakeholders in the city's future.  Recruitment would be by public notice letting those interested know where to apply.  This would give the City Council the broadest representation of what the citizens think. 

 The City Council has more inclusive and increased citizen participation on their list of goals, and this would be a terrific way to start.  No secret process or code to crack - no special interests - just citizens who have a passion about a subject serving their city on a Citizen's Advisory Committee.  Simple.  


On July 1, the City Council will appoint a Stakeholder Advisory Committee for the Southwest Employment Area (SWEA), the last chunk of re-developable land in the city.  Who is on the committee, and how it is controlled will be of utmost importance to the entire city, not just area "stakeholders."  The City Council is in the position to decide how any Advisory Committee functions and who shall be included.  What will they do on July 1?

It's our town after all.