Fairgrounds Management Corporation leaders voted unanimously to implement county recommendations for changing governance of the 165-acre public property. The board will move from five volunteer directors appointed by the Board of Supervisors to two such directors, while three directors will be county employees appointed through the County Executive’s office. The corporation was created in 1995 as a separate legal entity intended to preserve independence, but officials say the structure has reduced operational oversight and complicated long-term planning for the fairgrounds as an entertainment and community gathering space. The board will prepare bylaw amendments for a formal vote at its next meeting. Some board leadership expressed concern about whether the new structure provides sufficient volunteer representation.
"The Fairgrounds Management Corporation board of directors on Wednesday voted unanimously to move forward with the county's recommendations to go from five volunteer board members appointed by the Board of Supervisors to two, with the other three directors being county employees appointed by County Executive James Williams' office. The board will prepare the changes for a formal vote at its next meeting, which would include amending the organization's bylaws."
"County leaders established the Fairgrounds Management Corporation as a separate legal entity with a five-member, supervisor-appointed board in 1995. The structure was meant to maintain a level of independence, but officials say the structure has since led to a lack of fairgrounds operational oversight and hampered the county's long-term plans for the property as an entertainment and community gathering space."
""This governance change, I think, will create more opportunities for the vision of the current board members to be actualized," fairgrounds board member Jean Cohen, who is also executive officer of the South Bay Labor Council, told San José Spotlight. "There will be more attention and resources from the county to help with the master planning processes, ensuring the full potential of the fairgrounds is realized.""
""I do not feel they are necessary, but they will happen whether or not we approve them, so my voting for this stems from the idea of, if we can't stop it, let's see if we can have some control over how the change takes effect," Bosworth told San José Spotlight. "I'm not sure two volunteer board members is enough becau"
#local-government #governance-and-oversight #fairgrounds-planning #county-administration #bylaws-and-board-structure
Read at San Jose Spotlight
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]