Open Space Board of Trustees

Legal basis

• Charter Sec. 172 (1986-11-04) · creates · Creation of the open space board of trustees source source
• Ordinance No. 4996 (1986) (1986-11-04) · creates source
• Ordinance No. 7914 (2013) (2013-11-05) · amends source
• Charter Secs. 173-177 · governs · Terms, organization, functions, open space purposes, disposal of open space land source source
• Ordinance No. 8272 (2018) (2018-11-06) · amends source
• BRC 2-3-9 · governs · Open Space Board of Trustees source source
• OSBT Rules of Procedure · governs source

Appointed by

City Council. City Council appoints all five trustees and fills vacancies; five council members may remove a trustee for cause (Charter Secs. 172-173). source source as of 2026-10-29

How

The city recruits applicants each winter (for 2026: Dec. 8, 2025 to Jan. 25, 2026). Each applicant has an individual recorded virtual interview with staff and at least one council member; the recordings go to the full council, which appoints by motion at a regular meeting before April (2026: public hearing and 9:0 vote on March 5, appointments effective April 1). Council fills vacancies for the rest of the term. · annual; applications December-January, council appointment by March, terms start April 1 · city-council (motion at a public hearing) source source source source source source source as of 2026-03-05

Seats

5 source source as of 2026-10-29

Seat types

• City resident qualified for an advisory commission under Charter Sec. 130 (18 or older, one year's residence), holding no other city office ×5 at-large

source source as of 2026-10-29

Term

5 years source source as of 2026-10-29

Term limit

none set: Charter Sec. 173 sets the five-year term and no limit on reappointment; BRC 2-3-1 (general provisions) and Charter Sec. 130 set none either; members serve until their successors take office source source source as of 2026-10-29

Staggering

Staggered: the 5 five-year terms are set so about one seat expires each year; council appoints each spring and terms now run April 1 to March 31 (e.g. a 2022 appointment runs through 3/31/27); a vacancy is filled for the unexpired remainder source source source source as of 2022-02

Powers

mixed. Decides: Holds a binding approval over any disposal of open space land: no city open space may be sold, leased, traded or conveyed, nor an exclusive license or permit given, unless at least three trustees approve it after a public hearing. Council, the City Manager and OSMP may not act on disposals, open space fund spending, land placed under OSMP, the open space program, BVCP open space changes, the open space budget, nonexclusive licenses and permits or open space debt without first securing its recommendation (on all but disposal they may proceed if it does not answer within 30 days).. To council: Every disposal it approves then needs City Council approval and waits 60 days, during which a petition can refer it to voters; its other recommendations go to council, the City Manager or OSMP and are advisory (not binding on council). source source source source as of 2026-10-29

Council liaison

not applicable: City Council assigns no council member as liaison to its boards and commissions: in late 2022 council rejected a one-board liaison pilot, the May 2025 status report lists the liaison recommendation as on hold, and the January 2026 council committee assignments name no board liaisons (only intergovernmental bodies, internal committees and sister cities). source source

Staff liaison

Open Space and Mountain Parks · Leah Russell source source as of 2026-04-08

Relations

• City Council appoints Open Space Board of Trustees source
• Open Space Board of Trustees member of Greenways Advisory Committee · each board sends one of its members as its representative source source
• Open Space Board of Trustees recommends to City Council · disposals of open space land need its approval before council may approve them source source
• Open Space Board of Trustees recommends to City Manager source
• Open Space & Mountain Parks staffs Open Space Board of Trustees · secretary source source source

History

• 1986-11-04 · created · Created in the Charter (Article XII) by Ord. No. 4996, adopted by the electorate on November 4, 1986; Sec. 172 amended in 2013 (Ord. No. 7914) and Sec. 177's referral petition threshold amended in 2018 (Ord. No. 8272). source source