A big chunk of the community volunteers on appointed boards and commissions in Bloomington will have their terms expire at the end of the month. A few more terms will elapse at the end of June, according to the city website. And there were already a lot of vacancies among the 138 seats the mayor fills by appointment.
“Good people stepping forward and looking for their ideas, we are recruiting and looking for all the time,” said Mayor Dan Brady.
Some seats are ex officio, held by elected officials, or are mandated by law to have representation by people with specific expertise or positions. Those are not considered in this story.
There are 76 seats on city boards and commissions that are vacant [25], filled by people whose terms have expired [14], or whose terms will expire this year [37]. Taken together that’s 55% of all such appointed posts. Brady said right now he is tallying up those who want to rotate off of a body or who may wish to continue serving.
Filling seats on municipal boards and commissions is tough. Most Bloomington mayors in recent decades have struggled to find enough people. It’s also a common issue nationwide.
Brady said he's looking for people to serve but also may make structural changes.
"Combining some commissions because of either lack of getting quorums or what commissions maybe overlap a little bit," said Brady.
For instance, Brady said he may ask the council to combine the Human Relations and Welcoming America commissions.
"At one time the Human Relations committee had really a greater [number of] topics to work with," said Brady.
According to the city website, boards and commissions that have vacancies, or soon to expire or expired terms, include: Convention and Visitors Bureau, Building Board of Appeals, Citizens Beautification Committee, Commission for Safe Communities, Connect Transit, Cultural Commission, Fire and Police Commission, Historic Preservation, Human Relations Commission, Japanese Sister City, Library Trustees, Liquor Commission, Planning Commission, Police Pension Board, Public Safety and Community Relations Board, Transportation Commission, Technology Commission, and Zoning Board of Appeals.
Panels that deal with matters that affect construction and zoning tend to not have vacancies, though the terms of seven members of the Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals will expire at the end of April.
“When you can’t get a quorum there, that delays projects, giving somebody an answer on an investment they want to make in the City of Bloomington, from building to different things,” said Brady.
Brady acknowledged an occupational hazard in city service. Sometimes appointees will encounter resentment from people who have different ideas. But he said it’s worth it to know that you are helping other people solve problems.
