Boards and Commissions Restructure - Pilot Proposal

City of Asheville staff has created a proposal to restructure the advisory boards to address challenges within the current system.

This proposal aims to make our boards and commissions more inclusive, strategic and efficient.

Happening Now

May 10 at 2:30 p.m.: City Council Worksession to 1) review and get Council feedback on Council Committees; and 2) provide and update on Boards and Commissions proposed restructure

See presentation - Click Here

Watch live - Click Here

Restructure Working Group

We want and need to hear from you!

We are extending an invitation to join the Restructure Working Group.

The recommendations from the Working Group will be sent directly to City Council for consideration and inform staff’s final recommendation

(UPDATED 5/6/2022)

What to expect

Who: Anyone interested!

What: The Working Group will be charged with working together to:

Find creative ways for community members who are unable to attend regular meetings to participate
Troubleshoot the proposed structure by processing examples from the work of current boards and commissions
Find creatives solutions to community concerns about the proposed structure
Help define the names and focus areas of each advisory board
Create guidelines and processes to ensure future Working Groups are inclusive and accountable

Where: The kickoff meeting will be held virtually.

A meeting link will be provided to the public and for those interested in participating
The City hopes to livestream and/or record working group meetings when possible

When: Kickoff meeting - May 5, 12:00 - 1:30pm

Monthly meetings to follow
Future working group times will vary based on participant availability
Other opportunities will be available for those interested in collaborating on the process

Additional information: We expect most meetings to be 1.5-2 hours long and for this working group to run for approximately six months.

We are planning to include a combination of virtual and in-person meetings.

Want to attend? Email us at [email protected] and let us know you want to be on the Working Group.

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City of Asheville staff has compiled all of the input received so far in the process and reviewed it for themes found below.

Information collected from:

2 Focus Groups with Chair/Vice Chairs and community stakeholders

4 Workshops with a total of 81 participants

Emails, voicemails and conversations

All this information can be found in this folder

Themes

We asked: What is working well with the current structure

What we heard:

Board and Commission members bring valuable information from the community.
Board and Commission members bring specialized knowledge and experience.

We asked: Staff has identified the following challenges with the current system: 1) Unclear committee roles and responsibilities 2) Unclear communication flow 3) Disconnect of priorities 4) Management Limitations. What are we missing?

We heard:

It is difficult to follow what each board is doing and understand where to get involved.
There is a desire for more staff support.
Inconsistent communication flow to and from City Council.
Unclear what the roles and responsibilities are for board members.
While Board and Commission members bring specialized knowledge and experience,
there are people being left out who are impacted and bring a more general lived experience to the decisions/recommendations being made.

We asked: If we align boards and commissions with the comprehensive plan, what is being left out?

Proposed Advisory Boards: 1) Equitable Community 2)Well Planned Community 3)Housing Advisory 4)Healthy Environment & Livable Community

We heard:

The four proposed Advisory Boards are too vague and confusing.
Four Advisory Boards are not enough to cover all the work being covered by current Boards and Commissions.
Public Safety is missing in the Four Advisory Boards.
Having four advisory boards limits voices.
Equity should be interwoven in all Advisory Boards.

We asked: How do we ensure Working Groups are inclusive?

We heard:

A need for more diversity
Ensure representation from all points of view and all demographics
Avoid “usual suspects” and loud voices get the majority of the attention
Boards should be fully inclusive and create a sense of belonging
A concern about access. 1) The community accessing the information/work being done 2) Creating an inclusive environment where everyone can participate

We asked: Before you signed up for a Working Group, what would you want to know?

We heard:

How will the logistics work? (meetings, goals, participants etc)
What will the commitment be?
Will work be valued and taken seriously?

Other things we heard:

Agreement that there is ample room for improvement in the current structure
Frustration about the approach of the proposed restructure
There is a desire for City Council to know what work is being done and to provide feedback.
We need better clarity on the roles and responsibilities of all members in the proposed restructure.
There is a need to better clarify what each advisory board would be charged with and that there is space for ample representation of topics and individuals

After reviewing the themes listed above, do you think we missed anything?

Recent Engagement

Advisory Board Restructure Pilot Worskhops: March 3, March 7, March 9 and March 11
Thank you for participating!

Recordings and Jamboards of the workshops can be found in the folder HERE.

Next Steps:

Continue gathering input from the community
Begin restructure Working Group - first meeting (virtual): May 5 at 12:00 - 1:30 p.m.
City Council Worksession- May 10 at 2:30 p.m.
Make adjustments to staff proposal