Costa Mesa council holds off on making Military Affairs Team a formal committee
Costa Mesa City Council members held off this week on transforming a volunteer-driven team focused on veterans’ issues into an official city committee, saying they want to study the issue further.
The council voted unanimously Tuesday night to delay until next month a decision on a proposal to formalize the city’s Military Affairs Team.
At that time, city staff will offer additional information and options for how the council could move forward.
Mayor Katrina Foley said the goal isn’t for the council to take control of the team, “just to formalize what they’re already doing and to give legitimate city resources and support.”
The Military Affairs Team, formed in 2012, serves as a forum for residents to meet and talk about ways to serve veterans and their families.
The team meets monthly at City Hall. It has six or seven core members, though no formal membership roster, according to Dan Baker, a city employee who works closely with the group.
Team members collect donations throughout the year to benefit the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment at Camp Pendleton — the city’s “adopted” battalion. The team volunteers or contributes materials for events including Easter and Halloween celebrations and the Marine Corps Birthday Ball.
Council members acknowledged the team’s efforts and accomplishments, though some expressed uneasiness about using city resources and staff time to support the group as it exists now.
“I don’t see how we can continue to have this offline committee that’s not a committee and have the same level of support,” Foley said. “I don’t know that that’s legal. I don’t think we should do that.”
A proposal on Tuesday’s council agenda would turn the team into a more formal Military Affairs Committee tasked with exploring ways for the city to support and honor veterans and their families and collaborate with other groups to develop strategies to address veteran homelessness.
Doing so would subject the group to additional disclosure and noticing requirements, such as posting official meeting agendas.
Mayor Pro Tem Sandy Genis said she doesn’t “want to upset the apple cart if it’s going along OK,” but she feels there needs to be some kind of change.
However, Genis said she has spoken with some team members who don’t seem enthused at the prospect of becoming an official city committee.
“Some people like being anonymous volunteers,” Genis said.
Others seemed concerned that becoming a committee could bring additional bureaucratic red tape, she added.
Baker said there seems to be “general apprehension” among team members about being formally recognized, since the group has operated under the radar for years.
Councilman John Stephens said formalizing the body could open it to wider community participation.
“It has become a quasi-city committee, in effect,” Stephens said. “As a practical matter, we’re devoting staff time to it — and that’s fine; I think it’s a very worthwhile committee. I just want to make sure there’s a way for the city to ... reach out to the public and get people who otherwise wouldn’t have participated.”
None of the team’s current members spoke during the council meeting, nor did they send emails or letters commenting on the proposal.
City staff plans to meet with members of the Military Affairs Team to get their thoughts before the item returns to the council next month.
Making changes to two other city panels proved less complicated Tuesday night.
Council members voted unanimously to merge the city’s finance advisory and pension oversight committees into an 11-member Finance & Pension Advisory Committee, with appointees serving terms of one or two years.
The council also approved new membership qualifications for the Access Building, Fire and Housing Board of Appeal, which handles appeals of decisions made by city building officials or the fire marshal.
The qualifications specify that members must have expertise or professional experience in fields such as engineering, architecture or law.
Twitter: @LukeMMoney
