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Public commenters and Select Board debate APP 10 policy update and volunteer recruitment
Summary
Residents urged clearer, more proactive outreach and mentoring for town committees during public comment. The Select Board opened a review of APP 10 (the town's appointments policy) and asked staff to return with clearer language and supporting data.
Several residents used the public‑comment portion of the Select Board meeting to press the town for clearer, more proactive recruitment and follow‑up for volunteer committee positions, and the board responded by opening a review of APP 10, the town’s appointments policy.
Andrea Solomon, a Concord resident, described how she became involved in committee service. "I simply filled out a green card, which is available at the Town House and on the town website, checked off the committees I was interested in serving, and I waited for a call," Solomon said, adding that most committees require Concord residency and regular meeting attendance.
Other public commenters echoed the call for easier pathways into civic service and for better communication from the town about openings. Ellen Quackenbush, who provided committee counts during public comment, said: "By my count, we have 63 committees with an average of seven members per committee — that is 441 Concordians currently volunteering their time and talent." She urged mentoring for new members and clearer public information about vacancies.
Following public comment the Select Board discussed next steps for revising APP 10. Town Moderator Carmen Riestown and members of staff clarified that APP 10 is a policy (not ordinance) and that the town charter gives the Select Board authority under Section 2(b) to form and appoint members to committees. The board directed staff to collect baseline data on committee charges, vacancy counts, volunteer-card records, and which committees require or encourage dual appointments; staff will return with a draft rewrite and recommendations.
Board members and staff identified these possible aims for the APP 10 revision: a single, public volunteer form (the town’s volunteer card), clearer notice to applicants about the disposition of their application, consistent language on dual or overlapping committee membership, and better public outreach about openings (for example, periodic listings in the Concord Bridge and clearer online vacancy pages).
Clarifying details offered during the meeting included that the volunteer card is available online and in paper at the Town House, the town currently lists about 63 committees, and staff will follow up on which committees require representatives from other bodies (for example, the Community Preservation Committee has representation requirements in its charter).
