Committees
The City Council appoints more than 90 community members to its various committees, commissions, boards and task forces. Currently, Arcata has 10 committees that provide advice and/or recommendations to the Council. The City Council is responsible for all final actions.
A staff liaison is appointed by the City Manager to assist each of the advisory bodies in carrying out their roles and to ensure compliance with protocol as defined by the following:
- Commission and Committee Handbook Part I
- Handbook Part II—The Ralph M. Brown Act (Gov. Code §§ 54950-54963)
- Handbook Part III—Appendices
- Conflict of Interest Provisions
- Definitions and Information (Arcata Municipal Code §§ 2203-2206)
Relationship to the City Council
The City Council initially influences these bodies by selecting and appointing committee members. The Council provides them with general policy direction while allowing them the freedom to investigate issues fully.
The City Council schedules study sessions with each committee annually, when needed or as requested in writing to the Mayor by the Chair. In addition, each committee is responsible for making an annual report to the City Council on its work activity.
Terms of Office
The term of office for committee members shall be three years.
Removal from Office
The City Council may remove committee members by a majority vote. In addition, Section 2204(C) of the Arcata Municipal Code requires automatic removal of committee members upon notification to the Council of three absences within a calendar year.
Chair and Vice-Chair
The chair and vice-chair of each committee are determined annually at the first regularly scheduled meeting of the fiscal year. The City of Arcata’s fiscal year runs from July 1 through June 30.
Conflict of Interest and Ethics Training
This section applies to Economic Development Committee members only.
There are numerous potential conflicts of interest that may require an Economic Development Committee member to disqualify him or herself from participating in decision making. The Political Reform Act of 1974 (PRA) controls financial conflicts of interests of public officials and advisory bodies.
Economic Development Committee members are required to obtain ethics training, as required by California Assembly Bill 1234, Government Code Section 53234, et seq. In addition, the City’s Municipal Code requires each member of the Economic Development Committee to submit a California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) Form 700 when assuming office, when leaving office, and each year during their term of service. For more information and copies of FPPC forms, refer to the Conflict of Interest Provisions section of this site.