DOWNTOWN ADVISORY COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
title
Discuss potential transition of DAC from a “commission” to a “taskforce”.
body
DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: Allison Laff, AICP, Deputy Director
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
DAC to discuss on November 14, 2019.
BACKGROUND:
DAC previously discussed this topic at their February 7, 2019 meeting. At the conclusion of the discussion, DAC recommended forming a subcommittee to further discuss this item; however, this subcommittee has not met to date. Staff recommends that DAC revisit the potential of transitioning to a taskforce at their November 14, 2019 meeting based on lack of new actionable agenda items that have been before the Commission since February 2019.
DISCUSSION:
Commission Structure
DAC was established as a formal City commission in accordance with Title 2 (Boards of Commissions) of the Naperville Municipal Code in 2008. As a commission, DAC is subject to certain powers and duties; compliance with the Open Meetings Act, including meeting quorum requirements and publishing an agenda/minutes for each meeting; and appointment by the Mayor and City Council subject to applicable term limits.
Taskforce Structure
Prior to its establishment as a commission, a similarly comprised group met as the Downtown Plan Implementation Committee (DPIC) with the sole charge of implementing the recommendations of the 2000 Downtown Plan. DPIC was formalized as a Commission in 2008 based on some transparency concerns raised by a limited group of property owners who had been attending the meetings. However, staff finds that it may be appropriate to again consider converting DAC to the taskforce format based on the following items:
§ Many of DAC’s defined Powers and Duties, per Title 2 of the Naperville Municipal Code, have either been fulfilled or are no longer applicable. Accordingly, several 2017 and 2018 DAC meetings were cancelled due to lack of applicable agenda items. The topics that DAC would like to discuss are not necessarily related to these Powers and Duties and may be more appropriate for a less formal meeting setting.
§ The taskforce model allows for more flexibility in meeting scheduling, as a quorum is not required to convene a meeting and formal agendas/minutes are not required to be published. Taskforces are not subject to the Open Meetings Act. In addition, meetings can occur more frequently, as they are not limited by available staff resources; staff could attend these meetings to provide the city’s perspective but staff’s preparation time will be significantly reduced.
§ Term limits are not applicable to taskforce members.
§ Taskforces allow for establishment of sub-committees of the whole to address specific areas/topics of interest. Taskforces can still weigh in on items being presented to the City Council pertaining to Downtown Naperville.
§ The taskforce model is currently being used by the Senior Task Force and Accessible Community Task Force (both created within the last 2-3 years); the creation of a Sustainability Task Force is currently being contemplated.