LEMON GROVE PLANS TO BRING COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMISSION BACK INTO ACTION
Panel will help City Council with future decision-making
Lemon Grove is reviving its dormant Community Advisory Commission.
The three-member group, which also allows for additional temporary members, was established in 2016 to act in an advisory role and focus group for the City Council but has been inactive since meeting three times between 2017 and 2018.
The City Council unanimously agreed Tuesday that the group should be revived to help the city look at the budget and consider its financial standing in the coming months.
Applications are available online and in person at City Hall. Deadline for applications is Dec. 9. A special meeting to conduct interviews will be on Dec. 20, and appointments will be made Dec. 21.
“I’m glad to see this coming back around,” said City Council member George Gastil. “Councilmember (Jerry) Jones and I put together this idea back in 2015, and I’m really glad to see it coming back to life.”
The plan is for the commission to function as the city’s budget review committee and work with city staff members to review and discuss the status of Lemon Grove’s general fund, its capital improvement budget and governmental funds. The CAC will make recommendations to the finance manager and City Council.
The council also agreed that while the number of permanent members should remain three, the makeup of the temporary membership could change based on the need for more input on an issue as determined by the City Council.
In addition to looking into the budget, the City
Council said the group would also help the city look at other issues, such as public safety and unsheltered people.
The Community Advisory Commission somewhat took the place of the city’s Planning Commission, which was axed in 2015 but has since been re-established. Unlike the Planning Commission — brought back in 2018 — community advisers do not receive a stipend.
Permanent positions on the commission will be appointed by the City Council for three-year terms.