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REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON BOARDS AND C014MISSIONS OTHER THAN PUBLIC UTILITIES. Attached herewith is Article VII, Appointive Boards and Commissions, as revised by Mr. Harry C. Williams following our conference with him Thursday evening, April 10. We had previously met and studied and discussed his first draft of Article VII of which he had furnished us with five copies. Sections 706 and 707. There is no provision for a Planning Commission in the present charter but we feel that there should be, and therefore have included it in this Article. It was agreed at our first committee meeting that decisions by the Planning Commission, following hearings held before it, should be final, except that within ten days a petition could be presented to the City Council requesting a hearing before the Council, and that the City Council could grant or deny such a request. This would do away with the present ordinance provision which makes hearings before the City Council compulsory. However, Mr. Williams feels that this should be governed by ordinance rather than by Charter provision. It is therefore not included in these sections. Sections 708 and 709, Personnel Board, we did not consider, since there is a separate committee on Personnel. Section 710. The Board of Library Trustees is the only appointive board to be administrative, but Mr. Williams pointed out that its functions are entirely different than those of any other board and it should be administrative rather than advisory. The provisions of this section seem to conform to most of the recommendations made by our present librarian, Mr. Lake, and to charter provisions of other cities. Mr. Lake has suggested that a provision be made similar to the first paragraph of Section 711, whereby certain agencies, such as the county, might be accorded temporary membership on the commission. He also suggests that the board be given greater power of expenditure. They now spend as they see fit,income not budgeted for, such as income from the schools or the county, not foreseen at budget time. Mr. Lake's first suggestion could be complied with easily, but in regard to his suggestion in the matter of expendi- tures Mr. Williams points out that the board of library trustees is not accountable to the people, but to the City Council, and that the City Council should have the power to approve expenditures. Section 711. The present Riverside city charter provides for a Board of Park Commissioners. A recreation committee, advisory to the park board has been created by ordinance, and th&re is in addition a council committee called the recreation and educa- tion committee. In that the parks department and the recreation department must work together, since there is an overlapping of their interests, it is usual for city charters to provide for a joint commission. It has been suggested that this be designated a Parks and Recreation Commission, rather than Recreation and Parks, and that there be a provision for street trees. Mr. Williams concurs with both suggestions and would give the commission control and jurisdiction over parkways and street trees. - 1 -