Rock Island has been encouraging its residents to volunteer on local boards and commissions. | Courtesy of Shutterstock
Rock Island has been encouraging its residents to volunteer on local boards and commissions. | Courtesy of Shutterstock
The city of Rock Island is encouraging people interested in getting involved in the community to volunteer to serve on various advisory boards and commissions, including the Citizens Advisory Committee, Preservation Commission, Property Maintenance Board and Plumbing Board.
“We do have openings coming up every now and then on different boards and commissions, and we want to encourage people who want to be active in the community to fill out a form online and send it back to us so we consider them as openings come available,” Mayor Dennis Pauley told Rock Island Today.
Applicants must be Rock Island residents. Terms range from two to four years.
There are more than 25 different boards and commissions such as the Park Board, Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center Board and the Library Board, to name a few. Some of the boards and commissions have special requirements, but Pauley believes the best requirement is the desire to help.
“All I want is open-minded people who really want to help the city,” he said.
Applicants can expect to do different things depending on what board they are on. For example, people on the Planning Commission will be looking at opportunities coming up in the city such as new housing additions or, for a new business, looking to see if the business fits the criteria for a particular area. Members of the Preservation Commission look at some of the historic properties to see what needs to be done, and residents on the Martin Luther King board look at the activities at the Martin Luther King Center.
“The best thing is, I just encourage people -- if they really want to have an active voice in the community -- to sign up for a board or a commission,” Pauley said. “Some meet monthly, some meet bi-monthly and some of them are quarterly. It just depends on which one you are on. Get your voice out there and be heard.”
Completed applications should be submitted to the Mayor’s Office, Rock Island City Hall, 1528 Third Ave., Rock Island, IL 61201; or emailed to rimayor@rigov.org.
Applications, as well as a complete list of boards and commissions, are available at www.rigov.org.
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