Community Relations Board

This is up for second reading at tonight's meeting. You can read the purpose of the board, its duties and membership - clicking the title will take you to the complete back-up. My major concern with the creation of this board is its vague mandate. It was supposedly crafted after ordinances related to oversight of police department practices and policies in other communities, but you really have to look for mention of that in the one that is proposed here. Its purpose is so broad that it was talked about being used for an issue like the one on noise in the downtown - which, if there is any board that should be looking at that, it should be the already existing Planning and Zoning Board.

The back-up material also points out a problem with, you guessed it, process. Reading the transmittal memo, you see that this was already scheduled for second reading. There were so many changes made at the time of that reading that the acting City Attorney was firm on the need to have another second reading. This would take care of clerical accuracy and adhere to established legal process. Commissioner Jennings didn't think this was necessary - she thought that eight changes to an ordinance weren't too many to make and another second reading wasn't necessary. I am hoping that Ms. Stanton will continue to crack the whip and not tolerate this sort of sloppy ordinance making and provide the community with some ability to see what is proposed before something becomes the law of the land. I know she already has said no more last minute additions to the agenda.

As far as composition of the board, I like the addition of appointees from the Neighborhood President's Council - and we should look more to our neighborhood associations for representation on city boards as a general rule. Exactly what they will be doing is left to be seen.