Ad Hoc Committees

What are Ad Hoc Committees?

Different than “Standing” Committees which are permanent committees that meet on a regular basis, Ad Hoc Committees are temporary committees established by a Neighborhood Council to address a specific issue or project that falls outside the scope of standing committees. These committees are formed for a defined purpose and exist only as long as necessary to complete their assigned task.

Do Ad Hoc Committees also follow the Brown Act?

Ad hoc or "temporary" committees are treated differently under the Act. Ad hoc committees are not subject to the notice and posting requirements of the Act so long as the committee:

is comprised solely of members of the governing body, i.e., the committee may not contain individuals other than the members of the governing body;
consists of less than the number of board members who, if present at a meeting, would be able to make a decision, (e.g., if a Neighborhood Council has 21 board members, a quorum of 11 and makes decisions by a majority of those board members present at a meeting, then as few as 6 board members would have the ability to make a decision; therefore, the ad hoc committee should be comprised of less than the majority or, as stated in this example, less than 6 board members);
has a defined purpose and a time frame to accomplish that purpose; and
is advisory, i.e., the committee has not been delegated any decision making power and will be returning to the full board on its recommendation.
If the Ad hoc Committee has stakeholder members, it is subject to the Brown Act