Local government in Mecklenburg needs your help. Here’s how to serve.
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Local government in Mecklenburg needs your help. Here’s how to serve.
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Mecklenburg County’s and Charlotte’s local governments make decisions about things big and small, from whether to rezone a 1-acre plot to how to spend millions of dollars of federal COVID-19 relief money.
With that, there’s a lot the City Council and the Board of County Commissioners need to know. They need your help.
People can be part of the governments’ decision-making process by serving on an advisory board, which discusses developments about a key issue or region and relays that information to the elected officials.
Both the county and the city have advisory boards staffed by volunteers. Not every board has a vacancy, but many do, and people can apply to be considered to those boards today.
The county has many vacancies across several boards, including some focused on issues including air quality, advocating for people in assisted-living homes, arts and sciences, and juvenile crime prevention.
The city has 35 boards and commissions, and many of those will see vacancies in 2022. They include a bicycle advisory committee, one that focuses on historic landmarks and another that focuses on transit services.
People can sign up to be notified by email whenever there is a vacancy, and can apply at any time. Applications remain active for a year after they are submitted.
Here are a selection of the county’s current openings. A full list of the city’s boards can be viewed online:
▪ Adult Care Home Community Advisory Committee: Advocate for the rights of adults who live in assisted-living facilities. There is a three-year term length and a two-term limit. The committee meets quarterly.
▪ Women’s Advisory Board: Works to improve the status of women in education, employment, family, community, health, law, finance, and social services. The board also aims to give women leadership opportunities “by initiating and promoting programs designed to serve the needs of women.” It meets monthly, and the county currently lists three vacancies for this 15-member board.
▪ Juvenile Crime Prevention Council: Plan, organize and evaluate local programs aimed at mitigating juvenile delinquency. The council is tasked with developing community-based strategies to reduce substance abuse and reduce the number of kids who engage in crime. There are two current vacancies.
▪ Arts & Science Advisory Councils: Make Mecklenburg County a more culturally vibrant place to live. The advisory board gives feedback to the Arts & Science Council on how to engage with the public, which business and community leaders to build relationships with, and guides the council on the needs of communities across the county. There are two vacancies on this 10-member board.
▪ Architectural Selection Committee: Screen architects who might be hired for county projects. General contractors who serve in this role must sign a statement pledging not to bid on any project under consideration. There is one opening for this advisory position.
▪ Information Services & Technology Committee: Advise county commissioners on plans for new automated systems, whether those technology systems are adequate, and on the availability of technology and personnel. This board has two current vacancies, and three terms expiring soon.
This story was originally published January 2, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
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