Woodside revises handbook for advisory committees Woodside revises handbook for advisory committees (March 24, 2004)

By Andrea Gemmet
Almanac Staff Writer

The many volunteers who populate Woodside's advisory committees, Planning Commission and Architectural and Site Review Board are going to have a newly updated handbook to guide them. The Town Council at a recent meeting approved changes to the handbook on a 7-0 vote.

Many of the updates reflect changes in town policies over the nine years since the handbook was first drafted. Recent policy changes include requiring chairperson duties to rotate among members and standardizing the content and style of meeting minutes. Several Woodside committees re-elect the same chairperson repeatedly, council members have complained. Others compiled erratic or opinionated meeting minutes, or publish overly vague agendas.

The handbook update signals an increase in the council's oversight of the town's advisory bodies, which include the bicycle, trails, conservation and environmental health, history and recreation committees.

Town Manager Susan George said she will begin reviewing all committee agendas to make sure they comply with the Brown Act, the state's open meeting law. Agenda items that are too vague to conform with the law will be pulled if they aren't clarified.

A new addition to the handbook is a section on public relations that reminds members they have no independent authority, and that the majority of the town's advisory bodies have no final decision-making authority. "No representations to the contrary should be made by any of the members of these bodies," the handbook now states.

Although some council members at the November 10 meeting suggested including hypothetical scenarios explaining what is appropriate for advisory body members to say when solicited for opinions or advice, Planning Commission chair Stevan Patrick said it wasn't necessary.

"It seems to me to be very clear that we have no authority to say anything on the town's behalf," he said.

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