Dec 19, 2018. Commissioner meeting – Follow-up on the Appointment/Re-Appointment process. Facebook Post – Brown County Matters.  New policies have yet to be documented.

2017 Process for 2018 Appointments.  Appointments to the Redevelopment Commission (RDC) are for one year.  Commissioners and Council Members can choose to identify a vision and goals for redevelopment and share with the RDC and public. They can select volunteers that support their vision/goals.  They can choose not to re-appoint members and/or remove RDC members at any time. They do not have to provide a reason for removal or non-selections. Vacancies and requirements are announced in the Brown County Democrat newspaper.

Reappointments of existing members to boards and commissions that attend meetings and fulfill their responsibilities have been the norm.  Commissioners and council can and have selected applicants from each other’s lists of applicants.

Comments: 2018 Selection Process.  When you identify a recruitment and selection process that you are going to follow, then don’t circumvent it.  The Commissioners can appoint/re-appoint anyone they want. No need to fabricate a story to justify a selection (s).   

What the following transcript does not include is the “optics.” When Mr. Harris reinforced his interest in an appointment and asked questions about the selection process, the Commissioners avoided eye contact, shuffled papers and talked among themselves.   Commissioner RDC Appointments

2017 RDC Members: Dave Redding, Jim Schultz, Tina Bedey, Tim Clark, Jim Kemp. All but Dave Redding applied for reappointment but he intends to stay involved.

2018 Commissioner Appointments – Jan 17, 2018 (3): Commissioner Jerry Pittman, Danny Key, TIna Bedey.  Jerry Pittman attended one RDC meeting in 2017, Danny Key did not attend any.  Tina Bedy withdrew her application and the vacancy (per commissioner Biddle), will be readvertised.

• Other commissioner applicants:  Jim Schultz and Tim Clark (2016  and 2017 RDC members) and Brandon Harris.   Brandon Harris was a volunteer/supporting member of the RDC and attended 6/6 board meetings in 2017. He supported several projects.

Council Applicants (2).  Jim Kemp (2017 RDC member) Jim Schultz and Tim Clark (2016 and 2017 RDC members), plus one additional application.

Council Appointments – Jan 22, 2018.  Jim Kemp, Jim Schultz.  The council followed the established process. The council required RDC applicants to attend their November 20, 2017, meeting and to make some brief comments regarding their desire for an appointment.  The commissioners did not follow a similar process.

•  The audio recording of the meeting  See: Public Meeting Audio, County Council Minutes Audio Link 11/20/2017).

Question:  If commissioners and council can identify vision and goals and can select and remove RDC members, what is the expectation of having a representative on the RDC?

Significant Events.  The commissioners and council members unanimously voted to approve funding($12.5 million) for the Maple Leaf Performing Arts Center (MLPAC). The RDC took no official position and remained neutral.  Individual RDC members publically advocated for the project (Jim Schultz) as well as questioned one or more aspects of the project  (Tim Clark).  These individuals stated that they were representing their individual views and not the position of the RDC.  Brandon Harris also voiced concerns with some aspects (emergency related services) of the MLPAC project.

RDC REPORTS

• 2017-rdc-annual-report-20180111.  This report was distributed to the commissioners and council prior to the Jan 17 and 22nd meetings.  No questions were asked by any of the commissioners or council members.  No feedback has been provided.
• 2017 RDC Mid Year Report 20170717
• 2016 RDC Annual Report 201601

Commissioner and Council Policy and Process (not formally documented).

• Optional: Identify vision and goals for redevelopment. Share with the RDC and public.  This was not done in 2017 and should be aligned with a yet to be developed county strategic plan.
• Optional.  Attend meetings; request updates, provide periodic feedback.
• Advertise for vacancies.
• 15 December 2017 – Letters of Interest from applicants were due to Commissioners
• Interview applicants. If not an acceptable pool of candidates, re-advertise vacancies and repeat the process.
• Make Selections:
  • 20 December 2017 – Commissioner Meeting.  The announcement of selections delayed:   Danny Key and Jerry Pittman were not identified as applying for a vacancy.
• Optional: Thank those that applied and were not selected.
• Optional:  Transition.  Meet with outgoing members.
• Optional: Attend one or more meetings; review mid-year and/or annual report (s);  discuss and review priorities for the following year.

The statement below included in the transcript of the meeting by Commissioner Biddle to Brandon Harris regarding the selection process. 

How do you know if a candidate meets your requirements if you do not interview them?

” You know these are 1 year terms and we don’t um, there’s no requirement on our part to reappoint anyone from year to year so it’s real….we had 6/7, 6 candidates on our side. Council had 4 on their side. It’s just a matter of picking those candidates that we think will carry the commissioners and the councils vision forward in terms of economic redevelopment. And that’s what we did.”