Serving On Boards And Commissions

As we answer the call to service on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and are caught up in the excitement of Inauguration week, my hope is that all the enthusiasm for our great democracy will inspire people to be involved locally. Rockville’s form of “open government” already includes a high level of citizen participation. More than 150 residents serve on over 20 >boards, committees, commissions and special task forces but there’s plenty of opportunity for more participation. Right now there are 18 vacancies! If you are looking for a way to volunteer, consider using your expertise or experience to help the City. Your observations as a “regular citizen” could guide City policies.

Last year, appointments for Rockville’s boards and commissions were not being approved. Although the mayor has authority to place appointments on the agenda, the consent of the council was needed and they refused to vote. In an attempt to quickly solve the situation they imposed term limits for all boards and commission, then they voted to rescind the term limits and form a Task Force to look at all of the issues.

Council member Phyllis Marcuccio is leading the Task Force, and she has invited anyone concerned with the process to attend the next meeting on Wednesday, January 21, 2009 at 7:30 PM in the Black-eyed Susan Conference Room. The Task Force will make recommendations to the Mayor and Council on the appointment/reappointment process, length of terms, and term limits.

The City Clerk’s Office provided the Task Force with an in-depth look at the entire structure of our boards and commissions for the first meeting last year. What became apparent is that our system is not efficient for staff or residents. Boards and commissions have different lengths of term from two to six years. People cannot apply online and must print an Expression of Interest form and return it in person or through the mail. If members state that they want to continue to serve at the end of their term, they generally continue. The commissions and boards do not have a uniform process involving the service of chairpersons, the monitoring of rules, and the recommendations for appointments.

Here’s some of the issues from my perspective:

Terms and Limits: The two-year terms are probably just too short and don’t provide enough time for a “learning curve”, so three-years might be best as a minimum term. Unless there is a reserve of volunteers ready and willing to serve, it would be difficult to impose term limits.

Reappointments: Routinely reappointing existing volunteers may limit the opportunities for new volunteers to become involved, but at the same time some long-time volunteers are invaluable because of their history and contributions. Requiring members to re-apply with a different application asking about their accomplishments during service and goals for the future, may be helpful.

Quasi-judicial: Applicants to groups with legal decision-making responsibilities such as the Planning Commission, the Board of Appeals, and the Historic District Commission should probably be interviewed by the Mayor and Council before appointment and re-appointment.

There was also discussion about the possibility of alternating appointments so that groups would be assigned a scheduled month to fill regular vacancies. City Clerk Claire Funkhouser said that this practice is used in the County and may help with the logistics of keeping up with the appointment process. If you want to be involved, you would know when to apply for a specific group.

If you have read this far you should probably stop by the Task Force meeting, because you are interested!

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