CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Conduct the first reading of an ordinance decommissioning the Downtown Advisory Commission of the City of Naperville and deleting Chapter 20 (Downtown Advisory Commission) of Title 2 (Boards and Commissions) of the Naperville Municipal Code
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: Allison Laff, AICP, Deputy Director
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
In 2018, members of the Downtown Advisory Commission (DAC) began discussing their structure. After deliberating at four separate meetings, on November 12, 2020, DAC approved a motion (by a vote of 10-1) recommending that it be decommissioned as a commission and that it instead become a taskforce which operates independently of the City. Commissioner Nagle cast the dissenting vote noting concerns that a taskforce does not carry the same weight as a City commission.
BACKGROUND:
Many the Commission's Powers and Duties, as set forth in Title 2 of the Naperville Municipal Code, have either been fulfilled or are no longer applicable due to changing staffing resources and/or available budget. Accordingly, multiple DAC meetings between 2017 - 2020 were cancelled due to lack of agenda items. The topics that DAC would like to discuss are not necessarily related to the defined Powers and Duties. Furthermore, if a majority of a quorum of the members of DAC attend meetings of other organizations where downtown issues are discussed, such as the Downtown Naperville Alliance (DNA), the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Naperville Development Partnership (NDP), compliance with the Illinois Open Meetings Act may be triggered.
DISCUSSION:
After discussing the issues with the Legal Department, on November 12, 2020 staff met with members of DAC and advised that they could either remain a City commission or could seek to be decommissioned and become an independent taskforce.
Option 1: Remain a City Commission
As a City commission, DAC ha...
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