Boards, Commissions and Committees Oh My!
Perhaps running for city office is not on your radar nevertheless you are interested in serving your community. The perfect way to get your feet wet in local government is to volunteer to serve on one of the City’s 20 boards, commissions and committees.These bodies play a major role in ensuring that citizen engagement is addressed.
Applications to serve on boards, commissions, and committees can be made online and submitted to the City Clerk. The clerk will notify the council and mayor who will appoint volunteers according to their interest and vacancy.
Once selected, the governing body will vote on your appointment and you will serve for a specific term. Each board, commission and committee shall appoint a chairperson and a recording secretary to preside and record each meeting. All boards, commissions, and committees shall choose a regular day, time, and place to meet that is convenient for all members including the public who are encouraged to attend.
Each board, commission, and committee is required to keep a record of minutes for each meeting that includes all members who were present, absent, approved minutes from the previous meeting and any public comments. All approved minutes are to be sent to the Clerk for posting on the City’s website for public consumption.
The term “board” and “commission” are synonymous and are used interchangeably. While “committees” are subunits of governing bodies.
These bodies can fall under two categories. Statutory Boards and Commissions are created by legislation and are therefore mandated by law. Statutory boards are a crucial mechanism for ensuring that specific areas of public interest are properly regulated, governed and monitored as mandated by state law. These boards often have a mix of appointed members holding a certain position by virtue of their office.
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In Asbury Park the Planning and Zoning Boards are statutory and fall under state law Municipal Land Use Law, MLUL 40:55D. They have legal power but the extent and scope of that power vary depending on the specific board.
Non-Statutory Boards, Commissions and Committees operate alongside the statutory bodies.These include the Recreation Committee, Asbury Park Cable TV, and Shade Tree Commission just to name a few. These bodies do not have legal powers; they can not enforce laws or make binding decisions. They are limited to an advisory role, providing support and recommendations from its members to the governing body.
Here is the complete list of Asbury Park’s boards, commissions and committees:
Commissions:
- Deal Lake Commission
- Environmental Shade Tree (ESTC)
- Housing Authority Commission
- Public Arts Commission
- Sunset Lake Commission
- Wesley Lake Commission
Committees:
- Asbury Park TV Cable Advisory Committee
- Business Committee
- Community Development Block Grant Committee (CDBG)
- Green Team Committee
- Parking Committee
- Participatory Budget Committee
- Quality of LIfe Committee
- Recreation Committee
- Technical Review Committee (TRC)
- Wellness Committee
Boards:
- Library Board
- Planning Board
- Rent Leveling Board
- Zoning Board of Adjustment
I hope that this overview has given you a better understanding of the city’s boards, commissions and committees. If you are interested in volunteering the city recommends that you attend a few meetings of the committee you are interested in before submitting an application .
