New City Council Committee Assignments for 2024-2025
New Council Committees Announced by Council President Rozell
One of the most important responsibilities held by the President of City Council in the City of Troy is appointing council members to various council committees. These committees are where ordinances and resolutions are discussed before they are brought in front of the full council for deliberation. New Council President Bill Rozell announced the new city council committees with the swearing-in of the council.
The council has nine standing committee; Buildings and Utilities, Community and Economic Development, Community Partnerships, Finance, Law and Ordinance, Personnel, Recreation and Parks and Streets and Sidewalks. In today’s newsletter we will take some time to explain what each committee does and who will be on these committees for the upcoming council.
Buildings and Utitilies Committee
This committee deals largely with underground infrastructure and the buildings that the city owns and operates (with the exception of parks and recreation buildings). The committee tends not to meet that often, but when they do, it’s usually about big-ticket expenses. Samuel Pierce will be the chair of this committee and will be on this committee with Bobby Phillips and Lynne Snee.
Community and Economic Development Committee
Most of the work of this committee deals with rezoning applications and with programs on community and economic development; it tends to be a committee that meets often and does a great deal of work. Jeff Schilling will continue to chair this committee and Lynne Snee and Samuel Pierce will continue to serve on this committee.
Community Partnerships Committee
This committee deals with agreements the city may have with non-profit organizations or other government entities and traditionally hears requests for notwithstanding ordinances that deal with public events downtown. Kristie Marshall will be the chair of this committee, moving from the Building and Utilities Committee. She will be joined on the committee by Bill Twiss and Todd Severt.
Finance Committee
The Finance Committee is one of the most important committees of council as it covenes the annual budget workshop at the end of the year and deals with changes to tax codes and other financial issues. Todd Severt will continue to serve as chair of the committee and will be joined by Jeff Schilling and first-term council member Susan Westfall.
Law and Ordinance Committee
Most ordinances that deal with new regulations or laws in the community are heard by the Law and Ordinance Committee. The committee tends to meet fairly regularly. Jeff Whidden will chair this committee moving over from the Parks and Recreation Committee and will be joined by Kristie Marshall and Susan Westfall.
Recreation and Parks Committee
After serving a number of years as a Park Board Commissoner, Susan Westfall will be the chair of the Recreation and Parks Committee. She will be joined on the committee by Kristie Marshall and Jeff Whidden.
Safety and Health Committee
One of the committees that does not meet very often is the Safety and Health Committee. Traditionally, they have only met to discuss issues dealing with the relationship between the city and the Health Department. Bill Twiss will continue to chair this committee and will be joined by Jeff Whidden and Todd Severt.
Streets and Sidewalks Committee
Another workhorse committee is the Streets and Sidewalks Committee. This committee deals with legislation on street and sidewalks improvements along with alley vacations and dedications of right-of-ways for road development. Bobby Phillips will continue to serve as chair of the committee and will be joined by Susan Wesfall and Jeff Schilling.
Another Interesting Note About Council
The new council that has just been sworn in will have three women members, Kristie Marshall, Lynne Snee and Susan Westfall. It is the first time that one-third of the city council has been comprised of women members.
Thanks for reading today’s Civic Capacity Newsletter. It is the mission of this publication to better connect you to the decisions being made in the community. Please feel free to share this with your friends and neighbors, if you have found this information helpful. Also, feel free to share your ideas and insights in the comment thread.
Very informative, thank you.