After more than a year of minimal progress reconciling Langley’s numerous citizen-led committees, Mayor Kennedy Horstman is taking matters into her own hands.
During a special meeting Monday night, Horstman proposed several compromises for the city council to consider for the remaining 10 commissions, though no formal decisions have yet been made. Recently, the Lodging Tax Advisory Commission and the Ethics Board were disbanded and absorbed into the city’s administrative processes.
In a memo, the mayor suggested that the Planning Advisory Board, Finance and Personnel Legislative Commission and Public Works Advisory Commission should continue meeting monthly.
She recommended quarterly meetings, however, for the Civil Service Commission, Climate Crisis Action Commission, Dismantling Systemic Racism Commission, Historic Preservation Commission and Parks and Open Space Commission. Special meetings may be held if an issue needs to be addressed before the next scheduled meeting.
For the Cemetery Advisory Board, she proposed it should be shifted to an executive advisory committee with a standing board that provides operational advice.
To promote discussion and collaboration, she recommended that certain commissions create seats on others.
The mayor also suggested removing Open Public Meetings Act, or OPMA, requirements and replacing them with procedures that provide transparency, such as posting agendas and minutes for formal meetings. Currently, a city ordinance dictates that OPMA is required for commissions that are authorized to make their own decisions, such as the Civil Service Commission, Historic Preservation Commission and Planning Advisory Board. OPMA may not apply to the Finance and Personnel Legislative Commission and the Public Works Advisory Commission, for example, because they are advisory and can’t take any action on behalf of the city council.
Councilmember Gail Fleming said the Parks and Open Space Commission needs to meet every month because the members are working on their comprehensive plan update. Horstman said it might be more efficient for the city’s planning director to meet with several commissions at once to talk about the comprehensive plan to get the feedback that she needs.
Councilmember Chris Carlson pointed out that the members could have informal meetings, as long as they aren’t voting on a recommendation to the city council or making any decisions.
Horstman said she wants to ensure that meetings are happening because the city needs them.
“It’s not just that staff people have to attend because there are questions,” she said. “There’s administrative overhead with setting up the Zoom and getting the agenda together and getting the minutes together.”
When asked if the mayor would continue interviewing new commission members, Horstman said she prefers to do it so she can provide a “reality check” about what to expect.
Horstman confirmed Thursday that the city council will continue to talk about commissions in another round of discussion at a future meeting.
