Cypress council directs city attorney to draft ordinance to expand Traffic Commission to seven members

The Cypress City Council voted to ask the city attorney to prepare ordinance language to expand the Traffic Commission from five members to seven and to provide options for staggering terms to align recruitment schedules with other city advisory bodies.

Council members said expanding the commission would create opportunities for more residents to serve and provide two additional “eyes and ears” for neighborhood traffic concerns. The Traffic Commission currently has five seats while the Recreation and Senior commissions have seven, council discussion noted, and some council members said recent applicant pools included strong candidates who could fill additional seats.

City Attorney and city manager staff told the council that an ordinance amendment would be straightforward (a change to the number of members in section 2-70 of the municipal code) and that staggering terms could be handled administratively; the amendment would likely require two readings and become effective after the required waiting period. Council directed staff to return with draft language and options for staggering terms at the next regular meeting.

Mayor Burke made the motion to return with language to increase the commission size and to present term-staggering options; Councilmember Chang seconded the motion. The motion carried with four yes votes.

If the council approves an ordinance change, staff said there are options for when to fill the additional seats (immediately in the current recruitment cycle, staged over two years, or added in the 2026 recruitment), and they will present those choices for the council to consider. No appointments were made at this meeting.