City Hall wants you.
If you’re 18 or older, you’re probably eligible to apply to serve on one of the city’s three commissions. Morgan Hill officials say sitting on one of the commissions is a good way to serve your fellow residents and help the city council enact public services.
There is currently one seat open on the planning commission; three seats vacant on the parks and recreation commission; and five seats available on the library, culture and arts commission, according to city clerk Irma Torrez.
“It’s a great opportunity for citizens to be involved in their local government,” Torrez said.
The deadline to apply is April 23, though Torrez said the city will continue to recruit commissioners past the deadline if they are unable to fill the seats before then.
Mayor Steve Tate, a former planning commissioner, said if you have time and no matter what your occupation is, residents who want to serve can match their specific interests to one of the three commissions.
The planning commission makes recommendations and sets policies for council approval on issues related to planning, subdivision, zoning and land use changes, the city’s growth control competition and other land use regulatory issues. It meets the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. The new commissioner recruited for the open seat will serve until June 1, 2013.
The PRC provides the council with advice and recommendations on recreation programs, activities and resources, and plans for the future growth and development of parks facilities and recreation programming. The PRC meets the third Tuesday of odd-numbered months.
The LCAC advises the council on the use of library facilities and tries to attract potentially city-sponsored art projects and performance opportunities. The commission also encourages community involvement in the arts, and reviews and recommends public art projects to be installed on public property. The LCAC meets the second Tuesday of odd-numbered months.
Tate served on the planning commission from 1991 to 1998, and before that he served on the ad-hoc general plan update committee. He said he learned a lot about the city’s growth control system, which has been in place since the 1970s, through his service as a commissioner.
“I didn’t even know I was interested in land use when I moved to Morgan Hill, but as I learned about growth control (on the planning commission) and how it impacts the community then I got interested,” Tate said. “It was a lot of work but it’s really rewarding when growth control works the way it should.”
The housing bust of 2008 turned that system into a complicated maze of backlogged housing allocations and new policies to ease the impact on developers. Council members and city staff want to work on making the system more efficient and easy to understand when they have to time to devote to such an effort.
“Maybe now the interest (for a new commissioner) is helping us fix it,” Tate said.
Final appointments to the commissions will be made by the city council, based on applicants’ qualifications, eligibility and dedication to serve.
Anyone interested in serving on any of the three commissions can contact the city clerk’s office by calling (408) 779-7271; or they can download and fill out application forms and appointment information at the city’s website www.morgan-hill.ca.gov; or they can inquire in person at the city clerk’s office, 17575 Peak Ave., Morgan Hill, CA.
Applications will be accepted at the city clerk’s office until 5 p.m. April 23, or until all the seats are filled.
