Lakeway to change volunteer system
Ordinance to create new selection process for boards, commissions, committees.
To garner a more diverse pool of applicants, the city of Lakeway is changing the way it appoints volunteers to its boards, commissions and committees. The City Council voted to use a system that would advertise new openings and vet the candidates through a team.
Though the City Council voted 4-3 last month not to include a change in the city charter on the ballot regarding committee, commission and board appointments, the City Council decided last week to explore the possibility of changing the selection process via ordinance.
Currently, the city charter dictates that appointees to many of the city’s committees and boards, with some exceptions, are made by the mayor and approved by the City Council. And Lakeway largely does not publicly announce when an opening is available on one of its advisory bodies. Some council members have pushed to make the process of selection more open so that more possible candidates within the city might be reached.
“I strongly encourage you to get the biggest pool possible because I know that trying to get volunteers is really hard,” resident Lou Kilgore said. “So if you can come up with a way to get more people to volunteer, I can’t help but think that would make your job easier on that side . ... It’s not easy to find what volunteer positions are available. So, if you all had some way to post it, committee positions or whatever, I think it could be very helpful to the people that want to volunteer.”
After some discussion, the City Council voted to formalize a system by which appointees are vetted by a team consisting of the mayor, the specific board or committee chairperson and the City Council liaison for that body. Mayor Joe Bain said that idea wasn’t dissimilar to what he’s informally done in the past to make committee selections, and recommended that candidates be asked to attend a couple of the committee or board meetings to see if it’s truly something they want to get involved in. And, notably, the positions would have to be publicized.
“All positions would have to be advertised, including on our website, with a link to our volunteer page,” Council Member Keith Trecker said. “(The city would) review applications, including the current list we already have with people that have submitted their interest, to consider who has the appropriate background and qualifications and experience required for that specific commission or committee ... and the selection is sent to the council for a vote.”
Council Member Jean Hennagin advocated that the council should revisit the processes for volunteers joining and leaving boards, as city ordinances lay out different guidelines for each individual body.