#09 Action on proposed Council Policy #90 establishing term limits for Councilmembers serving on committeesCITY MANAGER’S OFFICE MEMORANDUM
January 30, 2012
TO: City Council
FROM:Rebecca Smith, Management Assistant
SUBJECT: Action on a Proposed Council Policy Establishing Term Limits for City
Councilmembers serving on Boards, Commissions and Committees
(Council Policy No. 90)
Request
Councilmember Rashkin requested staff bring forward a policy to implement term limits
for Councilmember service on boards, commissions and committees. This item was
brought forward in 2011and was scheduled to be discussed in 2012.
Staff Recommendation
Staff sees this decision as policy of the Council and has no recommendation. If the
Council wishes to approve Council Policy No. 90, the Council should choose one of the
two shaded sentences on page 2 of the policy for inclusion.
City Manager Recommendation
There is no recommendation on the item. The potential policy attempts to define the
term limits as the time when a Council member is serving on the Council and does not
include time served on a specific commission as a non-Council member.
Suggested Motion Text
I move to approve Council Policy No. 90 to implement term limits for Councilmember
service on boards, commissions and committees.
The Council may also wish to provide direction on whether a charter ordinance
regarding term limits for citizen board, commission and committee members be brought
forward for Council review.
Background Information
At the second meeting of April each year the Council President appoints
Councilmembers to those boards, commissions and committees in which
Councilmembers serve. The appointments are for one year in length (May 1-April 30).
There is currently no limit as to the number of years a councilmember may serve on a
board, commission or committee.
Council Policy No. 90
Council Policy No. 90 outlines new regulations concerning term limits for
Councilmembers to serve on boards, commissions and committees. Highlights include
the following:
1. Councilmembers continue to be appointed annually by the Council President at
the second meeting of April. Appointments continue to be for one year (May 1-
April 30).
2. Term limits for Councilmembers to serve on Boards, Commissions and
Committees shall be equal to the term limits for citizen members on each
respective board, commission or committee. For example, if a citizen member
may serve two, three-year terms, Councilmembers may also serve a total of six
years.
3. For committees that are not organized by the City of Janesville, such as the
Downtown Development Alliance, Councilmembers may serve following the
policy of the organization. If no term limit is imposed by the organizing group,
there shall be no term limit for service on that board, commission or committee.
4. The Janesville Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Board is exempt from
this policy statement because all Councilmembers serve on this Board.
5. Years of service on a board, commission or committee do not need to be
consecutive to count toward the maximum number of years.
6. If a councilmember has a break in their service as a councilmember (resigns
from council, chooses not to run for office, etc.), their number of years of
committee service reverts to zero. This means that if the former Councilmember
was re-elected to council, their years of service on boards, commissions and
committee would be zero for the purpose of determining term limits.
7. Time served as a citizen member on a board, commission or committee is
excluded when determining years of service. This means that if a
Councilmember volunteered for a committee prior to being elected, those years
of service are excluded from the term limit regulations.
8. If a Councilmember is appointed to a board, commission or committee outside of
the normal April process, such as to fill a mid-year vacancy or to serve on a
newly formed committee, that portion of a year’s service shall be excluded when
determining years of service.
9. This policy is effective April 1, 2012. Council will need to determine whether to
exclude or include current and past years of service.
Proposed Regulations
Table 1 depicts the committees in which Councilmembers serve, the number of
Councilmembers that serve on each committee, the term length for citizen members,
the number of terms citizen members may serve and the proposed number of years a
Councilmember may serve under proposed Council Policy No. 90.
There are eleven committees in which Councilmembers serve. Council Policy No. 90
proposes:
Six committees would allow Councilmembers to serve 6 years;
Two committees would allow Councilmembers to serve 4 years;
Two would not include term limits; and
One committee would allow for nine years of service.
Table 1: Councilmember Term Limit Information
COJ organized Committees
How many terms Proposed Maximum # of years
Committee in which # of How long is a can citizen a councilmember may serve
Councilmembers Councilmembers citizen member members under proposed Council
Servethat serveterm? (years)served?Policy No. 90
Alcohol Licensing
Advisory1
3See note below6
Cable Advisory1
3See note below6
Comm Development
Authority2
414
Ice Skating Center
Advisory1
3See note below6
Leisure Advisory1
3See note below6
Plan Commission2
326
Sustainable Janesville1
2See note below4
Transportation
Committee1
3See note below6
Appointed
annually by
Council President;
No citizens serve;
taxing entities
TIF District select No term limit for
representative1representativerepresentatives
No term limit
Non-COJ organized committees
Proposed Maximum # of years
Committee in which # of a councilmember may serve
Councilmembers Councilmembers How long is a Councilmember under proposed Council
Servethat serveterm?Policy No. 90
Appointed annually by Council
President; Bylaws indicate Council
Community Action
representative serves at the pleasure
Board representative1
of their appointing authorityNo term limit
Appointed annually by Council
Downtown
President; Bylaws allow for 3, three
Development Alliance2Per their bylaws, 9 years
year terms, thus 9 years.
Notes:
Janesville MPO is not included because all councilmembers serve on this committee.
The number of terms a citizen may serve on committees appointed by the city
manager is determined by charter ordinance 2.04.160.
There are no references to term limits for Council President appointments;
therefore, there are no term limit requirements for those committees appointed
by the Council President. Historically, Council President appointments have
followed the guidelines set in Charter ordinance 2.04.160.
Peer City Comparison
Staff completed a peer city survey to understand the regulations concerning term limits
in other communities, as outlined in Table 2.
Table 2: Peer City Comparison
Is there a maximum number
Do Councilmembers of years/terms a
serve on boards, How many years Councilmember may serve
commissions and is an on a board, commission or
Peer Citycommittees?appointment?committee?
AppletonYes2 Years
No
BeloitYes1 Year
No
Eau ClaireYes1 Year
No
Fond du LacYes1 Year
No
Green BayYes2 Years
No
KenoshaYes2-5yrs
No
ManitowocYes2 Years
No
OshkoshYes1 Year
No
RacineYes 1,2, or 3 Years
No
SheboyganYes1 or 2 Years
No
WaukeshaYes1 Year
No
WausauYes2 Years
No
JANESVILLEYes1 yearNo
Of the twelve cities surveyed, all 12 (100%) have Councilmembers serving on boards,
commissions or committees; this is the same as Janesville. The number of years that a
Councilmember is appointed to serve on a committee varies, with most ranging from 1-2
years; this is similar to Janesville’s approach of one year terms.
All 12 (100%) do not regulate the maximum number of years that a Councilmember may
serve on a board, commission or committee. Cities stated that once one appointment is
completed, Councilmembers may be appointed again. The peer cities’ approach is the
same as Janesville current approach; if the Council implements Council Policy No. 90,
Janesville’s approach would be dissimilar to our peers.
Pros & Cons to implementing term limits for Councilmembers on Boards,
Commissions and Committees
Pros
1. Allows different Councilmembers to serve, thus possibly leading to varied
perspectives
2. Provides consistency in length of service between citizen members and
Councilmembers
Cons
1. Councilmembers may be appointed to a committee not in their field of interest or
knowledge because there may not be many options for appointment, particularly
if other Councilmembers personally exclude themselves from certain committees
due to scheduling conflicts
2. Committees working on long term or complicated projects/topics may prefer the
consistency of having a Councilmember serve for several years
Analysis
Limiting years of service of Councilmembers on boards, commissions and committees
is a new topic for the Council and one that has not been implemented in peer cities.
Should the Council wish to begin term limits for Councilmember committee service,
Council Policy No. 90 outlines regulations to implement this change.
As noted in Table 1, there is no official term limit for citizen members appointed by the
Council President. Staff has historically used the regulations from charter ordinance
2.04.160 governing citizen members appointed by the City Manager. The Council may
wish to have a charter ordinance brought forward to solidify the regulations concerning
citizen members appointed by the Council President.
Charter ordinance 2.04.160
Charter ordinance 2.04.160 (attached) details the limitation of terms for those citizens
recommended by the City Manager. This ordinance states:
If a term length is 3 years or less, a volunteer may serve up to 2 consecutive
terms;
If a term length is more than 3 years, a volunteer may serve 1 term.
This ordinance also provides an exception that would allow the manager to appoint a
volunteer to one additional term if the person was deemed to have unique knowledge or a
critical capacity with an unfinished committee project. Historically, this exception has not
been used.
CITY OF JANESVILLE Policy No. 90_
CITY COUNCIL POLICY STATEMENT
Date Issued
General Subject: Administration Effective Date 4/1/2012
Special Subject: Councilmember Term Limits for
Boards, Commissions and Committees
Cancellation Date
Supersedes No.
PURPOSE
The objective of this policy is to outline the term limit regulations concerning
Councilmembers’ service on boards, commissions, committees.
STATEMENT OF POLICY
Appointment
Councilmembers continue to be appointed annually by the Council President at the
second meeting of April. Appointments continue to be for one year in length (May 1-
April 30).
Term Limit Regulations
Term limits for Councilmembers to serve on Boards, Commissions and Committees
shall be equal to the term limits for citizen members on each respective board,
commission or committee. For example, if a citizen member may serve two, three-year
terms, Councilmembers may also serve a total of six years.
For committees that are not organized by the City of Janesville, such as the Downtown
Development Alliance, Councilmembers may serve following the policy of the
organization. If no term limit is imposed by the organizing group, there shall be no term
limit for service on that board, commission or committee.
If a councilmember has served the maximum amount of time on a board, commission or
committee, he or she must wait two (2) years before being able to serve on that board,
commission or committee again.
The Janesville Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Board is exempt from this
policy statement because all Councilmembers serve on this Board.
Years of Service
Years of service on a board, commission or committee do not need to be consecutive to
count toward the maximum number of years.
If a councilmember has a break in their service as a councilmember (resigns from
council, chooses not to run for office, etc.), their number of years of committee service
reverts to zero. This means that if the former Councilmember was re-elected to council,
CITY OF JANESVILLE Policy No. 90_
CITY COUNCIL POLICY STATEMENT
Date Issued
General Subject: Administration Effective Date 4/1/2012
Special Subject: Councilmember Term Limits for
Boards, Commissions and Committees
Cancellation Date
Supersedes No.
their years of service on boards, commissions and committee would be zero for the
purpose of determining term limits.
Time served as a citizen member on a board, commission or committee shall be
excluded when determining years of service. This means that if a Councilmember
volunteered for a committee prior to being elected, those years of service are excluded
from these term limit regulations.
If a Councilmember is appointed to a board, commission or committee outside of the
normal April process, such as to fill a mid-year vacancy or to serve on a newly formed
committee that portion of a year’s service shall be excluded when determining years of
service.
This policy is effective April 1, 2012.
Councilmember service on boards, commissions and committees prior to April 1, 2012
are excluded from these term limit regulations.
OR
Councilmember service on boards, commissions and committees prior to April 1, 2012
are included in these term limit regulations.
Comment [rs1]:
Council should choose
one of these sentences for
inclusion in the policy.