On February 20th, 2023, the City Council adopted Resolution 6902, which established the 2023-2024 City of Independence Action Plan. Among them included direction to the City Manager to pursue efforts to consolidate City boards and commissions. This item would advance the work of Strategic Plan item 1.2.a calling for the enhancement of City committees and boards.
Why consolidate boards?
A consolidation structure of the current City boards and commissions would keep all the function of the current boards, align functions to the Strategic Plan, while also making boards more effective and efficient overall. Presently, the City of Independence operates 35 boards and commissions comprising a total of 244 citizen commission members and an additional 9 alternates.
The goals for this work includes streamlining board work, increasing transparency in the function and role of boards, improving collaboration between staff, boards, and the City Council, making boards more equitable and inclusive to all community members, and modernizing the board structure to a more sustainable model. City staff have done an initial review of City boards and have identified a process for consolidating most of the City boards and empower City boards and their function.
Process for consolidation of boards:
Staff propose utilizing seven key pillars to bring the work of current boards together in a collaborative and unified process. The pillars are:
- Safe Community - Independence provides a safe and healthy place to live, work, learn, and play.
- Sustainability (Environmental, Social, Economic) - Independence cultivates a strong environmental ethic, protects clean air, water, outdoor spaces, climate, promotes environmentally sustainable business and lifestyles, and supports equitable opportunities for all to thrive.
- Parks and Open Space - Independence grows, maintains, and preserves the natural resources in the City for all those who live and visit the area.
- Transportation - Independence builds and supports a robust and efficient transportation network and system.
- Community Development - Independence consistently improves the community's quality of life as it grows and changes, honors sense of place and neighborhood feel, and plans for a livable, affordable, more connected city.
- Cultural Services - Independence provides and expands access to diverse cultural and recreational amenities.
- Fiscal Oversight and Accountability - Independence creates long-term financial stability by using equitable and sustainable sources of funding for City services, and we deliver them in a lean and efficient manner.
Through an engagement process with all board Chairs, staff will work to collect input and have boards identify the pillar that represents the functions and work currently conducted by the existing board. The goal is to ensure that the functions of current boards are reflected in these consolidated boards.
Areas of additional review:
Staff recognize that additional research and review may be required to determine the best way to bring as many boards into the proposed structure as possible. Staff will continue to work within the requirements of the Revised Statutes of the State of Missouri, the Independence City Charter and Municipal Code, and other legislative requirements to ensure that board consolidation is completed appropriately.