#EM2019 – CC Question – Boards and Commissions

Because I serve on the planning commission I may be biased here. I know the huge impact that we have had on development in our city in the last 18 months. It has changed drastically, in favor of the city. I have not attended the other boards but have seen the fruits of their labors. We have a functioning and well stocked library with a great staff. Our efforts to recognize and remember our military service members and veterans has been impressive. Through the efforts of our cemetery board we have a beautiful cemetery and thanks to the Senior Citizens Advisory Council our senior citizens have organized gatherings that are expanding and improving regularly.

They are extremely valuable to the city for growth and keeping the people involved.

The city has numerous boards and commissions that it uses to help the City Council with decision making and to assist City Staff. What is your impression of these boards their effectiveness? Some of our boards, like the Seniors Board and Library Board, have a very clear focus and regular effective meetings, but we still have work to do to improve the focus and the effectiveness of some of our boards. I have been working with the Mayor and fellow councilmembers to revitalize the Parks and Rec board. This includes staffing the board, as well as revisiting the code and making adjustments to the roles and responsibilities of board members.

City boards are partially only as effective as the residents make them. For example, the Parks and Recreation Board currently does not have enough members to meet quorum and are therefore nonoperational until additional members are added to the board. If you are a resident interested in serving on a board, please speak up! The city will always need people who care to jump in and serve.

As mentioned above, I’ve served on multiple boards within the city. They have their ups and downs. When fully functional, with purpose and tasks, they are great. When they don’t have multiple tasks or stay busy, they tend to lack luster. But that is no fault of their own; when things aren’t needed, or there isn’t anyone to report to, there isn’t much to do. You can’t criticize them for not operating. I hope everyone will get involved, find a cause, and participate. The boards can be beneficial. I hope all will find opportunities to serve.

I think it is a great idea to have these different groups. Making an informed decision is the responsible thing to do. Being given input from various boards as it relates to these specific groups and their interests make sense. As to how they are effective I guess depends on each group and their purpose. The Military and Veterans Advisory Board has a purpose in giving support of sponsored programs for local military personnel. In the last year alone you have seen some of the great efforts given to the military personnel such as the welcome home processions. The city council relies on the Planning Commission for their research and proposals when related to land use and development. With Eagle Mountain growing it is important to have input from people who have the sole purpose of focusing on these individual areas. With this all being said I think the goal of every government entity, city council and these boards and commissions, should be to improve how effective they are.