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3. Recruitment and selection. <br />Ms. Osborn noted the outcomes identified by staff in the Agenda Item Summary (AIS) related to the three topic <br />areas. The outcome for representation included that the makeup of advisory groups should, over time, represent <br />the richness of the community's perspectives, neighborhoods, and population demographics. The outcome for <br />member development spoke to the provision of additional training and support for existing members as well as <br />through the community to develop more potential members for boards and commissions. The outcome <br />recruitment and selection spoke to continued refinement of City communication procedures to help ensure that <br />outreach, recruitment, interviews, selection, and appointments were fair, transparent, and civil. <br />Ms. Osborn invited feedback on the suggested outcomes, noting the pending boards and commissions recruitment <br />season. <br />Ms. Solomon, who had requested the work session, recalled the last boards and commissions interviews process, <br />which had served as an impetus to her request. She hoped the council had a discussion of specific process <br />improvements rather than a general discussion. She thought the current process could be improved considerably. <br />Ms. Solomon identified her areas of interest as 1) an improved computer application process, and she noted the <br />progress that had been made and suggested that the council needed to further refine the questions; 2) a different <br />start date for the terms of board and commission members of July 1, and she suggested that the council extend <br />the terms of existing members to accommodate that change; and 3) a change to the application process based on <br />the system used by School District 4.1 that allowed each applicant three minutes to speak to convince the council <br />of their suitability for the job, with the decision to happen the same evening. She suggested that would be a <br />shorter and more efficient process. <br />Ms. Ortiz was intrigued by Ms. Solomon's suggestion for the process. She thought the application forms and <br />interview questions were redundant and, given that each commission had its own criteria for membership, she did <br />not think the form should include any questions. She wanted only information about the individual's ability to <br />satisfy the time commitment required. She suggested that each board and commission could recommend selection <br />criteria that were relevant to their body. <br />Ms. Ortiz wanted to include youth in the categories for outreach. She also suggested the potential of a boards <br />and commissions "boot camp." <br />Mayor Piercy said she was bothered that applicants did not get information about the outcome of the application <br />in a timely fashion. She thought the City should send each applicant a thank -you note for applying, and that <br />should be done even if the applicant was not chosen for a position. <br />Mayor Piercy noted the mention in the AIS of a Citizens Academy, which was of long- standing interest to Ms. <br />Taylor, and thanked staff for acknowledging Ms. Taylor's interest. <br />Ms. Taylor thought that changing the start time for all new terms would be appropriate, although she had been <br />going to suggest January as the new start date. <br />Ms. Taylor emphasized her interest in a Citizens Academy. She suggested that the City's former Citizen <br />Involvement Committee (CIC) had served as a useful "training ground" for residents who later went on to serve <br />on other boards and commissions. <br />Ms. Taylor wanted to have interview questions well in advance so the councilors could make revisions and <br />address the redundancies mentioned by Ms. Ortiz. <br />MINUTES —City Council June 8, 2009 Page 5 <br />