4 - Boards and Commissions Guidelines
Board and Commission Guiding Principles
Council appreciates deeply the time, specialized knowledge and commitment of members of City boards
and commissions. Occasionally awkward situations have developed from the lack of clarity about roles
and the lack of communication about how to work seamlessly together. Council realized that
articulating some basic principles to guide the interactions between boards/commissions, staff and
Council might help prevent some of these difficulties. The following guiding principles are offered
from the City Council in the spirit of partnership and desire to create a good working situation.
1) City policies are established by the City Council. With the exception of limited (often charter-
based) circumstances, the role of Boards and Commissions is advisory to the city Council.
2) All policy expressions on national, international and statewide issues should come from Council
and not from individual Boards and Commissions. Boards and Commissions may suggest that
Council take policy positions by resolution, but should not independently issue such resolutions.
3) When several Boards and Commissions review elements of a given proposal or issue, staff
reports to Council should reflect the perspectives of all reviewing Boards and Commissions.
4) When members of a Board or Commissions disagree about a given issue or policy, Council
expects to be appraised of the disagreements and of the reasoning underlying the various points
of view.
5) City staff ultimately is responsible for supporting City Council. Council expects staff to provide
the best professional judgment regarding issues and policies, whether or not Boards and
Commissions agree with those professional judgments. Staff should inform Council when a
Board or Commission disagrees with the staff’s position and, when possible, explain the basis of
that disagreement.
6) It is Council’s desire to use Boards and Commissions as the first step for gathering community
feedback on controversial issues as a means of creating viable options.
7) The city manager is responsible for the budget recommendation to City Council. When a Board
or Commission disagrees with the city manager’s budget, the manager should be notified as a
matter of courtesy prior to the Board or Commission members addressing Council.
8) Board and Commission members who wish to explain or advocate positions to Council should
identify themselves as a board members and clarify whether they are speaking for a personal
position or on behalf of the majority or minority position that the Board has taken.
9) Council members should refrain from discussing with Board members any quasi judicial issues
coming before the Board. For matters that are not quasi judicial, Council members may discuss a
point of view with Board members but should clarify that this perspective may not represent the
position of the Council as a whole.
10) Staff takes direction from the city manager, except as authorized by the Charter. Boards and
Commissions may request research or other work of staff, but if the work requires more than
what staff determines is reasonable, the Board or Commission, supported by a majority of
members at a meeting, must make a direct request of the city council.
In addition the city maintains a Board and Commission Website as an additional resource to its Boards
and Commissions. The site is located at: http://www.ci.boulder.co.us/cmo/boards/bcindex.html