CC Minutes - 03/15/99 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mr. Meisner said the recruitment notebook included a page identifying the committees that was impossible to use because it was illegible. As an example of why close attention needs to be paid to recruitment, he cited the current recruitment effort for a Planning Commissioner, noting that the seat being vacated was filled by a resident from the Whitaker area and the remaining commissioners are all from the south Eugene area. Mr. Pap~ agreed, saying the council might consider a nominating committee, perhaps involving the ClC. There seemed to be some support for the suggestion. Ms. Nathanson suggested that candidates selected for council interviews for this recruitment be sent supplemental questionnaires to save "precious" interview time. Mr. Meisner said that as the council creates a new committee, it makes a choice about how members are appointed. Ms. Walston expressed appreciation for the council's input and summarized the discussion: 1) the Recruitment Notebooks need improvement; and 2) the applications for the current recruitment will include a supplemental questionnaire for interview candidates. For the public's benefit, she announced that the recruitment period closed on March 31, and applications and further information were available on the City's Web page. Mr. Meisner asked staff to solicit questions from the council, and especially the Planning Commission, for the supplemental questionnaire questions. The council supported the suggestion. Mr. Lee suggested asking for references. Mr. Meisner wondered if other municipalities were asking for them. Mr. Kelly cautioned that the issue of references in the human resources world was a "mine field" currently. Mr. Meisner raised the issue of changing the council's Wednesday work session time to 5:30 p.m. on an experimental basis. He expressed concern that this limited the opportunity for public involvement to the dinner hour. Ms. Taylor shared his concern. Mr. Fart moved, seconded by Mr. Pap~, to change the time of the usual Wednesday work sessions (on the second, third, fourth, and fifth Wednesdays each month) to 5:30-7:30 p.m. on a trial basis, beginning with the work session after the spring break through the next council break. Ms. Nathanson said it seemed that the council is best-served when it makes available to the public the opportunity to watch live broadcasts of work sessions rather than rely on reports from the media about those meetings. She wondered if the library might consider a viewing station for viewing of those meetings missed by the public. She concluded that the proposed time was just as good as the old time with respect to citizen involvement as there is no opportunity for public input during work sessions. Mr. Pap~ said the council might consider moving one of the Wednesday meetings to the Monday the council now takes off. Ms. Taylor pointed out that other community groups schedule their meetings around the council's schedule. She noted that that particular time slot was "family time" in most families with children. Minutes--Eugene City Council March 15, 1999 Page 7 5:30 p.m.