Commission debate to reduce seats and change quorum rules is tabled pending legal/bylaw review
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Summary
Commissioners debated a motion to reduce the Recreation and Parks Commission from nine to seven members and a separate motion to change quorum rules to 'half plus one' of seated members; commissioners asked staff for the current municipal code, bylaws and handbook and agreed to table changes until the next meeting.
The commission discussed a staff‑initiated process to request that city council reduce the commission’s membership from nine seats to match the current council size and to address persistent recruitment shortfalls. The liaison explained the commission has lacked a quorum for over a year and that staff had started conversations with the mayor’s office about a staff report to city council.
Commissioner Hurlbut moved to change the commission bylaws to define quorum as "half plus one of the existing seated commissioners" rather than basing quorum on the full nine‑seat membership. The motion was seconded. Several commissioners opposed immediately adopting the rule change without written authority: one commissioner said the commissioners handbook provides guidance and another asked to see the municipal code or ordinance that governs commission membership.
There was disagreement about solving the symptom (not having enough people to meet) versus recruiting more commissioners to serve. Commissioner Hurlbut argued that reducing membership or changing the quorum definition would make the commission sustainable; Commissioner Torres and others opposed an immediate bylaws change without broader review.
Commissioners requested a staff report and documentation: the current municipal code or ordinance, the commission’s bylaws and the commissioners handbook. Staff agreed to provide those documents and the commission agreed to table the quorum/bylaws change until members could review the materials at the next meeting.
The motion to change the bylaws was therefore effectively held pending the requested documentation; no final ordinance or bylaw change was adopted at the Nov. 5 meeting.
Next steps: staff to send copies of the municipal code/bylaws/handbook to commissioners and to return with a prepared report on the membership‑reduction request and potential bylaw changes at the next meeting.