Amended April 8, 2019 [Download}
The Cape Elizabeth Town Council believes that its citizens are best served through a high degree of citizen participation in their government. One important opportunity for participation is through appointments to Town boards and committees. Our standing boards and committees perform many vital functions in providing for the public health, safety and welfare. As these functions are so important, it is advisable to have citizens serving on boards who have varied expertise and who represent a broad cross section of our community. It is also advisable to have turnover on boards to ensure as extensive participation as is possible and to encourage new ideas and new approaches to come forward. These views are the basis for the following statement of policy:
1. Only residents of the Town of Cape Elizabeth shall serve on standing or ad hoc boards or committees, or non-residents appointed by the council under special circumstances to ad hoc boards or committees.
2. The Appointments Committee shall annually advertise all expiring terms on standing boards and committees. The advertising shall include notice in the Cape Courier, on the Town's website and on the Town's Cable Access Station.
3. The Appointments Committee shall seek to meet with all prospective appointees in order to discuss special qualifications, expertise and interest of applicants. The Appointments Committee shall also consider personal and/or professional affiliations that may cause an actual or potential conflict of interest as they make appointments to boards or committees. The Town Council may forgo the Appointments Committee process pursuant to Chapter 4 Boards and Committees 4-1-2.
4. The Appointments Committee shall review attendance records to ensure that citizens seeking reappointment have been active members. Attendance records shall be maintained for each standing board and committee. Staff members shall be responsible to ensure the maintenance of attendance records. Issues relating to non-attendance of a board member shall be reported to the Town Manager by the staff member.
5. Citizens may serve on only one standing board or committee at one time.
6. Minutes of all board and committee meetings shall be prepared by staff. The Town will provide paid secretarial assistance only for regular meetings of the Zoning and Planning Boards.
7. Members of the Planning Board may not concurrently serve as members of the governing board of the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust.
8. The Town Council, as the appointive authority, reserves the right to collectively and individually use whatever additional factors it deems appropriate in considering the appointment or reappointment of a citizen to a town board or committee.
9. A schedule of board and committee meetings shall be provided to the Town Clerk. Following each meeting, minutes shall be provided to the Town Clerk. Electronic transmittal of minutes is requested.
10. Employees of the Town of Cape Elizabeth may serve on standing boards and committees unrelated to their work for the town, except those boards which are quasi-judicial.