ITEM:

ACTION ITEMS

 

20.

CONSIDER EXPANDING COMPOSITION OF POLICY ADVISORY COMMITTEE (PAC) AND TECHNICAL ADVISORY (TAC); OR CREATING COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND POTENTIAL CHARGE 

 

Meeting Date:
December 12, 2005

Budgeted: 

N/A

 

From:

David A. Berger,

Program/

N/A

 

General Manager

Line Item No.:

 

Prepared By:

Same

Cost Estimate:

N/A

 

General Counsel Approval:  N/A

Committee Recommendation:  N/A

CEQA Compliance:  N/A

 

SUMMARY:  The purpose of this item is for the District Board to consider whether or not the existing MPWMD Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) and Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) should be expanded by adding community members.  The PAC and TAC currently are comprised of elected officials and appointed staff, respectively, from Monterey Peninsula cities, the airport district and County of Monterey.  Board consideration of a proposed “charge” (i.e. a document setting out the Board’s intended purpose and function of each committee) for the PAC and TAC are separate Action items on this agenda.  These charges which would need to be modified if membership of the PAC and/or TAC were to be expanded.  Alternatively, the Board may consider whether or not to create a Community Advisory Committee.  Should it decide to create such a Community Advisory Committee, staff has drafted a “charge” for the Board to consider (Exhibit 20-A). At the present time, the Carmel River Advisory Committee is the only MPWMD citizens advisory committee.  

 

RECOMMENDATION:  It is recommended that the Board discuss and decide whether or not to:

  1. Expand the Policy Advisory Committee and Technical Advisory Committee membership to include environmental or other community group representatives; and
  2. Form a separate Community Advisory Committee for citizens to provide input on water use and consumption policies under consideration by the PAC, TAC and Board.

 

If the Board decides to expand the PAC and/or TAC membership, it is recommended that the Board refer their respective charges to staff to reflect this change.  If the Board decides to form a Community Advisory Committee, the Board should consider the draft charge (Exhibit 20-A).  

 

BACKGROUND:  At the Board’s September 8, 2005 Strategic Planning workshop one or more Directors suggested that representatives of environmental and other public interest groups be added to the PAC and TAC to provide input directly from citizens on policy issues under consideration by those two committees.  Other Directors felt that input from community groups or other interested citizens should continue to be provided to the Board when such matters are agendized for consideration.  Exhibit 20-B is an extract of the final minutes of the September 8 Strategic Plan workshop.  The Board’s consensus, which is reflected in the adopted 2005-06 Strategic Plan, was that the Board would discuss and determine at its December 12, 2005 meeting whether or not to a) expand the PAC and TAC, or b) create a separate Community Advisory Committee and charge. 

 

As further background information, staff researched District files regarding instances in the past when the Board has created citizen advisory committees.  In addition to the Carmel River Advisory Committee, past District Boards have formed committees that included citizen members for various specific policy issues.  For example, in the mid-1980’s an Urban Water Conservation Committee, partly comprised of citizens from the community, was formed to advise the Board on developing and implementing a District water conservation and rationing program.   In the mid-1980’s, and again in the early 1990’s, the Board created a Citizens Financial Advisory Committee to evaluate and develop recommendations on funding methods and revenue sources for financing proposed reservoirs on the Carmel River and a seawater desalination project.   

 

IMPACT TO STAFF/RESOURCES:  Modest additional staff effort and minor expense increase would be required to support an expanded PAC and TAC, for arranging meetings, maintenance of committee membership records, distribution of agenda packets, and similar administrative functions.  Significant staff effort and modest additional expense would be involved in supporting a newly-created Community Advisory Committee.   This would impact existing Water Demand Division staff that most likely would be assigned to support this new committee, resulting in workload adjustments that could adversely affect existing project priorities and other management functions.                    

 

EXHIBITS

20-A    Community Advisory Committee Draft Charge

20-B    Extract of Final Minutes of September 8, 2005 Strategic Planning Workshop

 

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