By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
Changes to Whitewater’s committee structure could be afoot, based on plans recently floated by the city’s top elected official.
Council President Patrick Singer on March 7 discussed with his elected colleagues several proposals he said would be aimed at enhancing citizen participation and improving the process of hashing over specific municipal-related issues.
In most instances, boards, commissions and committees consist of one or two council members and a panel of residents. Most of the groups are empowered to only make recommendations, which are forwarded to the full council for definitive action.
In his pitch to the full council, Singer proposed two from-scratch committees and two revamped groups that would replace existing committees. No official action was taken at last week’s meeting, though further discussion is anticipated in the months ahead.
The new committees in Singer’s proposal are a Public Works Committee and a Finance Committee.
A proposed Public Safety and Licensing Committee would replace the existing Alcohol Licensing Committee and include broader issues beyond simply issuing alcohol beverage licenses to businesses and servers.
The existing Cable TV Committee, meanwhile, could be overhauled with the newly named Community Involvement Commission, under Singer’s proposal.
In some instances, Singer said his proposals came after reviewing how similar municipalities in the region have organized their committee structures. Groups devoted specifically to finance and public works are common.
If it moves forward, the new Community Involvement Commission would closely mirror a decision made within the walls of city hall.
In late January, the city hired Kristin Mickelson as its public relations and communications manager. She succeeds Alan Luckett, who had the title of media services manager.
While Mickelson’s job duties include cable TV operations, her responsibilities have been broadened to include more of an outreach role.
The proposed Community Involvement Commission would foster efforts to improve community engagement, Singer said.
