City of Kent changes volunteer board policies to get new members

A whole lot of potential changes could be coming to the city of Kent’s 11 boards and commissions that feature 96 volunteer positions.

The City Council recently adopted an ordinance with term limits to the positions as well as updating the recruitment procedures, eligibility requirements and the appointment and reappointment process. The changes will impact the Arts Commission, Parks and Recreation Commission, the Cultural Communities Board and eight other boards.

“The ordinance was thoroughly discussed by the council with input from staff and community members,” Mayor Dana Ralph said last week in her weekly update. “The council feels that these changes will positively impact the overall effectiveness of our boards and commissions while expanding opportunities for residents to get involved.

“These changes seek to embrace our diversity and advance our commitment to equity and inclusion by ensuring that the city is transparent about vacancies and reaches out to the public to ensure that our boards and commissions are a representation of our community.”

The new policy began Aug. 5. The term limits are basically three years with the option to serve a second three-year term before taking a break for two years or more unless no other applicants can be found.

“By clarifying policy regarding term limits and recruitment, we are inviting the opportunity for a variety of experiences and perspectives to work alongside seasoned members, ensuring we continually have the communities’ best interests and needs at the forefront of the discussion,” Ralph said.

Once terms are up, members are ineligible to serve again until a two-year break or a lack of qualified applicants.

Two members of the three-member Disability Retirement Board have been in their positions since 1981. Both of those terms will expire in 2022.

“A lot of terms of commissioners are coming to an end, and it may come as a surprise to a lot of them,” Council President Toni Troutner said at the council’s July 27 Committee of the Whole meeting. “Have we reached out to them and what’s been their reaction?”

Ralph, who as mayor appoints most of the positions which are then ratified by the council, has reached out for the not-so-easy conversations.

“I am contacting commissioners,” Ralph said. “I’m having a rather difficult conversation of, ‘thank you for your service, you’re done unless we don’t get a qualified candidate, then could you please come back.’ It’s awkward and uncomfortable.”

Ralph said a couple of volunteers asked what they had done wrong, but she told them that was not the case.

Eight of the 15 arts commissioners are impacted by the new term limits, four of them later this year. The term limits also will impact half of the eight-member Lodging Tax Advisory Committee.

Councilmember Bill Boyce had a mixed reaction to the changes.

“The concept makes sense,” Boyce said. “Some of the committees, our job is to bring more people in. But the Lodging Tax Committee (members) will be all done in 2022, the entire committee gone. It’s like pulling teeth to get people on that. There are only so many hotels in the city.”

That committee requires representation from the hotel industry.

“The concept is the right thing, let’s play this out,” Boyce said. “But I think it’s too far to the other side. Let’s try to recruit people to serve. If it’s not working, we may need to look at it again.”

Councilmember Satwinder Kaur appreciates the goal with the term limits.

“We’re trying to see if someone new wants to be involved,” Kaur said. “We want to be sure to bring fresh voices to the table.”

Councilmember Brenda Fincher said the change was overdue.

“It’s not that we don’t want you here,” Fincher said. “But Kent is a far different city than in 1990, 2004 or 2012 when some of the people have been serving. They’re not the second choice, but if no one else qualified applies, we can make sure people are ready to do the work. It’s important to open it up so other people step forward.”

Fincher said the recruitment process will include reaching out through the city’s social media to find new volunteers.

“It opens it up in social media, it’s not a small circle we go to,” Fincher said.

Troutner said the council will need to keep an eye on how the changes work.

“It’s important to watch this process, and listen to commissioners if they are reapplying,” Troutner said. “We need to continue to look at that and whether we need to make adjustments in correcting length and ratifying terms.”

City board volunteers

To see a full list of boards and to apply for a position, go to the city of kent website at kentwa.gov.