Clydette Entzminger, Temple city secretary, said board positions are filled in February and August each year, plus as needed. The city has 17 boards and commissions. The groups advise the city council on various city programs, operations and facilities, she said.
“There are a lot of things going on in this community, including the comprehensive plan and strategic plan,” she said.
The comprehensive plan update included input from a citizen advisory committee and people who work and live in the city.
“One of the tools the council has given me is to try to increase participation on city boards with a variety of their constituents,” she said.
A move to increase publicity when board appointments are made came about during a workshop meeting last week when District 3 council member Marty Janczak asked about the process of gathering a list of candidates and whether the boards give input about prospective members considered by the council.
“Typically, I would say we have not had a process of input from boards in general,” Temple Mayor Bill Jones said, adding though, that some boards regularly provide input.
He also said slots on some boards, such as the Library Board and the Transit Advisory Committee, are often hard to fill, while other boards, such as the Reinvestment Zone No. 1 board, rarely have a shortage of prospective members.
Tony Jeter, District 1 council member, said the pool of prospective board members needed to come from a broader sampling.
“I think we need to do a better job - we have to advertise if that’s what it takes, to let the community know when appointments are coming up,” he said. “I think we need to expand our pool of people since our window is twice a year.”
According to the city’s Web site, members of its boards and commissions are considered “officers” of the city and are governed by both local and state statutes.
City staff conduct orientation sessions for new board members twice per year to provide a short course on local government and home rule cities, the Open Meetings Act, and conflict of interest statutes.
State law establishes several of the city’s boards and commissions. Others result from the city charter. City boards address such subjects as the Draughon-Miller Central Texas Regional Airport, animal services, building codes, Temple Public Library and planning and zoning.
