Apply to Boards and Commissions

At the Community Forum Tuesday, someone asked about serving on boards and commissions. Legislation intended to facilitate citizen participation was passed in 2005, but the process is still lacking key features.

To see all the boards and commissions, one must go to the City Clerk's page on the city web site and scroll down to "Agencies, Boards & Commissions." The link takes you to a complete list of all the boards and commissions as well as a list of vacancies and a link to the Civic Responsibility Act that was passed in 2005. Here is a shortcut to the list - just click on Appointments to open up the full list.

The Vacancy link is just a bare-bones list. What an applicant really needs is the Registry as promised in the Civic Responsibility Act:

Registry of appointed municipal positions:

The City Clerk shall cause a register of appointed positions to City boards, commissions or agencies to be prepared and maintained.  Such register shall be made available on the City’s website and shall set forth at least the following:

1.         Title of each appointed municipal position

2.         Brief description of the position’s powers and duties

3.         Any special credentials or qualifications required to hold the position

4.         The length of term for the position

5.         The name of the person currently holding the position, the expiration date of the term and the number of vacant seats on the board or commission.

6.         The dates/times and frequency of meetings which the holder of the position must attend.

One reason why this is not available is that each board and commission is supposed to have a secretary, among other officers. Besides other duties, the secretary is supposed to inform the City Clerk's office of changes in the status of members that result in vacancies, such as resignations or deaths. The City Clerk's office already has the records of appointments and when terms are up, although certain entities such as the PMUA or Housing Authority can have holdovers, commissioners who stay on past the expiration of their terms until a successor is named. Some have stayed on many years past the end of their terms.

Some boards have classes of members, such as the Planning Board:

Class I: The Mayor or Mayor’s designee; the term shall correspond with the Mayor’s official tenure.

Class II: One (1) City Official other than a City Council member; the term shall be for one (1) year.

Class III: One (1) City Council member; the term shall be for one (1) year.

Class IV: Six (6) City residents; the term shall be for four (4) years.

Alternates No. 1 and No. 2: City resident; the term shall be for two (2) years. 

The terms of the alternate members shall be such that the term of not more than one (1) alternate member shall expire in any one (1) year.

It's a good idea to look over the list of boards and commissions and to attend a meeting or two of any that interest you. Meeting times are not mentioned in the clerk's list, but each board and commission must adopt a calendar annually and the clerk's office has a record of them. For example, the Planning Board generally meets on the first and third Thursdays of each month in City Hall Library. The Board of Adjustment meets usually on the first Wednesday of each month, also in City Hall Library.  

The application for serving on boards and commissions is on another link on the City Clerk's page. Click here to go directly to the application form.

If you apply, keep a copy and check back later on the status of your application. Paperwork sometimes gets misplaced or lost. If you are in a group that seeks more representation, share your experiences in applying.

The city web site is due for an overhaul, so some of this information will no doubt change. Meanwhile, familiarize yourself with the various boards and commissions and apply for any that appeal to you. Vacancies come up every year on most of them, so keep trying!

--Bernice