Barry County Commissioners Tuesday discussed progress in its renewed effort to attract more citizen volunteers to sit on county oversight committees and boards.
The Appointments Reform Plan goals are to provide more information about the different boards and develop better ways to train candidates so they are more comfortable with procedures.
The plan is divided into three sections, research, writing and recruitment. Each commissioner focuses on one area and all commissioners will be recruiting.
Researching the matter with Michigan State University Extension, the Barry County Chamber of Commerce and County Administrator Michael Brown, Commissioner Jon Smelker said they all advised training for new members and guidelines or bylaws for each committee. “MSU has all the tools,” he said.
In her research, Commissioner Vivian Conner contacted the Michigan Association of Counties (MAC) and Allegan and Mecosta counties for information. MAC sent her papers on basic procedures.
Allegan County advertises positions and a human resources person holds a brief interview them, and sets up interviews with county commissioners, she said. Mecosta County keeps a file on each applicant for one year and contacts them when there is an opening. “Lack of training seems to be an issue statewide,” she said. She suggested the county needs a human resources director.
“We agree we’re heading in the right direction, but we don’t want to overburden applicants,” Smelker said.
Commissioners Ben Geiger and Heather Wing have written a draft of a new “more user-friendly, streamlined,” applicant questionnaire for the county website with an introduction and descriptions of advisory boards and committees. They are working on a handout for commissioners to take to meetings they attend that will stimulate interest.
Work continues on the writing of the forms, research into training and recruitment and possibly software to manage the program. “The next step is to put together all we have to assess where we are and determine the next steps.” Geiger said.
“We could be a trendsetter for other counties with this,” Wing said.
