2/20/2018 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Council Minutes of 2-20-2018 commission or from one to another. This is a volunteer position and we are always hurting for good people to serve. It's not like we have a big box of people we can call on. Although Mr. Rahm served as BZD Vice Chair for 10 months, he may have a limited background in Building & Zoning, but that's not the real calling here. It is for an honest and fair and levelheaded person to judge the merits of citizen and business appeals. Expertise is provided to assist the Board by the Law Director, the City Planner, the City Engineer and the Assistant Building Commissioner, all of whom are nonvoting members, but report and comment as necessary at the meetings. Now, I've seen this first hand in January, I believe it was. Right now if you go before the Board and somebody is absent you need all three of the sitting board members to vote yes to get your appeal. I feel this puts a lot of pressure on the board members and it just shows how much time is of the essence. Now I would have approached the Chair of the Intra -Governmental, but for me to do that since I'm the Vice Chair would have been a quorum and I can't do that, so that is why I'm bring it up here. Councilman Schumann made a motion to suspend Council Rule 58. The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Hemann and passed 6-1. Councilman Glassburn voted no. Councilwoman Hemann made a comment with her decision to second the motion. I would also like to concur for over a year there have been only four members on that commission and that the City and Council have done everything within their power to advertise, solicit and to otherwise find an additional member. The rules say this appointment shall be appointed by the Mayor. It is not may, it's a shall. So Council really cannot wholly go against the request of the Mayor in this situation because it is his appointment, not Council's. I additionally did conduct phone interviews as a matter of fact sometimes when people would say I don't think I can do that when I had the Intra - Governmental Committee for four years. And as a matter of fact, when I sat on a commission before I was a member of Council, I was interviewed by phone by former Councilmember Mr. Orlowski so I would concur that any of those ways are acceptable to conduct an interview and bring that information back to Council. As far as I'm aware, none of those have been approached as a solution to try to fulfill the position so yes, I am a second to that motion to suspend. Councilman Glassburn voted no with comment. I don't believe it is inappropriate, as Council is charged with the duty of confirming nominees, to ask nominees to have an application or to take part in any kind of a committee process, interview process. The application that was submitted for this position included a resume for Mr. Rahm for a position of Ward II Councilman, not for the position that is in question here. That resume did not detail any qualifications relevant to this Board and so it was appropriate also given the hot issues in Ward II for Mr. Rahm to have an opportunity to explain his qualifications, as well as for members of the public and this body to ask any questions that they had. I worked with Council staff to find an opportunity for Mr. Rahm to come in. He was scheduled to come in this last week and had a last minute cancellation. I'm not sure what the issue is here. Thank you. Councilman Schumann made a motion to approve the Mayor's appointment of Daniel Rahm to the Building and Zoning Board of Appeals. The motion was seconded by 9