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(1) Consideration of Formation of a Disability Advisory Committee (DAC) “Architectural Barriers Program” Ad Hoc Subcommittee; and (2) If Desired, Appointment of Up to Four Committee Members to the Newly Formed Ad Hoc Subcommittee.
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Meeting Date: February 12, 2025
Contact Person/Dept: Jesse Roth/PRCS
Phone Number: (310) 253-6472
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: [X]
Public Notification: (Email) Meetings and Agendas - Disability Advisory Committee (02/05/2025); (Email) Parks, Recreation & Community Services Department Updates (02/05/2025)
Department Approval: Ted Stevens, PRCS Director (02/05/2025)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Disability Advisory Committee (DAC) (1) consider forming a DAC “Architectural Barriers Program” Ad Hoc Subcommittee; and (2) if desired, appoint up to four committee members to the newly formed ad hoc subcommittee.
BACKGROUND
At the September 25, 2024, DAC meeting, DAC members expressed an interest in potentially expanding the scope of events offered as part of Disability Awareness Month. One potential idea shared was that of a public lecture on the topic of architectural barriers for persons with disabilities (“Architectural Barriers”). At that time, the committee reached consensus to agendize an item to allow for further discussion on this topic and learn more about their options. One committee member, who has a background in architectural design, also offered to provide the committee with a sample of the content that could be covered during a program presentation; this sample is provided as Attachment 1. Staff have prepared this report to present the options available to the committee for the creation of such an event.
DISCUSSION
According to the City Council Policy on Commissions, Boards and Committees (adopted on September 25, 2017, by Resolution 2017-R086), Committees cannot provide direction to staff, other than to agendize items; and any agenda item requests that require significant time and resources will not be undertaken without approval from the Department Head or City Manager. The DAC proposing the addition of a program that could require additional staff time and resources is something that potentially comes into violation with this City Council policy.
Parks, Recreation, and Community Services (PRCS) Department programming is dictated by a yearly work plan, which follows the Fiscal Year (July 1 to June 30). A copy of the current Fiscal Year’s Work Plan (FY 2024-2025) is provided as Attachment 2. Each city department develops their work plan based on the City of Culver City’s Adopted Strategic Goals for 2024-2026. Budget, staffing levels, and community needs and interests are also taken into consideration. Based on the FY 24-25 plan, as well as the current slate of scheduled programs, staff have determined they are unable to accommodate an additional program for the current Fiscal Year.
Though an event cannot be accommodated for the current Fiscal Year, staff have advised that a standalone DAC public lecture event could potentially be considered for the FY 2025-2026 Work Plan. Before staff commits to assisting with such an undertaking, however, they would like the committee to consider the following:
• Given the current number of events already taking place during October’s Disability Awareness Month, and the relatively “light” schedule for DAC during the Spring months, staff recommend that a separate event take place during the spring rather than the fall. In addition to spreading out the workload for both committee members and staff, the presence of the event in the spring would give the committee something to share with City Council in their January - July Biannual Reports.
• PRCS staff are concerned about increasing their workload through the addition of programs to their work plan. Staff recommend that instead of adding an additional event, DAC Members should consider volunteering at current events offered by Disability Services. A schedule of Disability Services programs February through December 2025 is provided as Attachment 3.
• Furthermore, staff will be requesting additional assistance from DAC in the coming months on existing Disability Awareness Month events, including fundraising for the Abilities Carnival. These additional tasks will be intensive and require lots of work. With this in mind, staff question if it would be feasible for the committee, and staff, to take on a larger workload.
In lieu of a separate public event, staff recommends that the committee considers offering a presentation as part of an agenda item and promoting it to the public. The public is already allowed to attend DAC meetings, so this would be a low-effort way of offering a public lecture. Staff could assist in promoting the event through its traditional channels for promoting upcoming events, such as GovDelivery, flyers, posters, and social media, to ensure news of the event gets out to a wider audience.
Ad Hoc Subcommittees
Staff highly recommend DAC consider forming an Ad Hoc Subcommittee to explore the feasibility of a standalone event. This subcommittee would work with staff to determine what a proposed event might look like, how much staff time would be involved, and how such an event coincides with the duties of the DAC as stated in Section III of the DAC Bylaws. A copy of the DAC Bylaws is provided for reference purposes as Attachment 4.
An “ad hoc” subcommittee serves only a limited or single purpose. It is not perpetual, and it is dissolved when its specific task is completed. An Ad Hoc Subcommittee may be formed or dissolved at any Advisory Committee meeting, as long as the discussion has been placed on the Agenda in advance.
When considering an Ad Hoc Subcommittee, the following questions can help determine if the Ad Hoc Subcommittee is justified:
1. What is the purpose of the Ad Hoc Subcommittee?
2. What is the timeline for the Ad Hoc Subcommittee being dissolved?
3. How will the Ad Hoc Subcommittee know when the task is finished?
Once an Ad Hoc Subcommittee has been created, updates are typically given by members. By consensus of the Advisory Committee, a separate Agenda Item is sometimes prepared and presented on a specific Ad Hoc Subcommittee’s topic or event.
While discussing the timeline for planning the “Architectural Barriers” program, the Advisory Committee may wish to create Ad Hoc Subcommittees to meet some of the deadlines. An Advisory Committee Ad Hoc Subcommittee is limited to four members in accordance with the Brown Act.
Recommended Motion: That the DAC appoints ________________, ________________, ________________, and __________________ to serve on the newly formed Architectural Barriers Program Ad Hoc Subcommittee.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this discussion.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 2025-02-12 - ATT 1 Architectural Barriers Presentation Sample
2. 2025-02-12 - ATT 2 PRCS FY 24-25 Work Plan
3. 2025-02-12 - ATT 3 List of Upcoming Disability Services Programs 2025
4. 2025-02-12 - ATT 4 Disability Advisory Committee Bylaws
MOTION
That the Disability Advisory Committee:
1. Consider forming a DAC “Architectural Barriers Program” Ad Hoc Subcommittee; and,
2. If desired, appoint up to four committee members to the newly formed ad hoc subcommittee.