In an effort to fill longstanding vacancies on city boards and commissions and to determine which panels need to stay or go, Albuquerque City Council President Brook Bassan is proposing a new board to act as a task force for the advisory bodies.
Bassan’s proposed ordinance would create a task force that reviews all boards, committees and commissions because more than 20 are inactive.
“The [city] clerk originally asked me to sponsor [the proposed ordinance] because in looking at all of the total boards and commissions…a good chunk of them actually don’t even operate and function and they’re kind of defunct,” Bassan told City Desk ABQ. “So the clerk was wondering if we could have a board established to evaluate which boards and commissions are operating, which ones aren’t, which ones need to change, if we need to eliminate some…but at the same time, make sure that we keep things operating right.”
To fill one vacant position, city councilors are required to recommend two qualified applicants. The proposed ordinance would relax that requirement if only one person applies.
During a Finance and Government Operations Committee meeting on Feb. 10, a city clerk spokesperson told city councilors that the city has around 82 boards and commissions but only 58 are active with around 400 members and a nearly 15% vacancy rate.
During the committee meeting, Bassan said that the new process would eliminate a problem she had with a constituent in her district.
“I had an applicant, a singular applicant, for almost a year for one board in particular,” Bassan said. “It happens quite often that we have one applicant from somebody that’s very passionate about wanting to serve in the city on any of these boards and commissions and sometimes just finding a second [applicant] to move forward to the administration is difficult.”
According to the proposed ordinance, if there is only one applicant who applies within 45 days of the mayor notifying the council that a position is vacant, a city councilor can recommend the appointee to the mayor. If the mayor does not submit the recommendation within 30 days, a city councilor will appoint the applicant with the OK from the council.
The proposed legislation will go in front of the whole council for a vote on March 3.
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