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Willard delays finalizing water advisory board after few in-town applicants
Summary
City staff told the Board of Aldermen the announced water advisory board did not meet the ordinance's in-town membership requirement; aldermen agreed to extend recruitment for one month rather than amend the ordinance now.
The Board of Aldermen of the City of Willard heard that the pool of applicants for a proposed water advisory board does not meet the makeup required by the city ordinance, and agreed to give staff another month to recruit in-town members.
City staff said the applications received include only one in-town candidate while the ordinance requires most members be Willard residents and allows no more than two from out of town. "We do not have enough to meet the criteria in the ordinance," a staff member told the board during the discussion.
The shortfall prompted a discussion of options: amend the ordinance to permit more out-of-town members, broaden eligibility, or continue outreach and delay creating the board. Aldermen and staff agreed that postponing formation to solicit more local applicants was the preferred course. "We'll give it another month and we'll reboot," one alderman said.
Aldermen noted multiple outreach attempts to recruit volunteers, including website postings and direct outreach, and asked staff to continue targeted recruitment. Board members also discussed the board's intended purpose: to provide a conduit between customers and the city on rates and service issues, and to give residents a voice during rate hearings.
Board members clarified eligibility questions raised during the meeting. A resident asked whether board members must be customers of both water and sewer; staff replied the requirement is to be a customer of the system, and someone on well or septic but inside the city limits would still be eligible in many cases.
No ordinance change was made. Instead the board directed staff to continue recruiting local applicants for roughly one month and return with an updated applicant list and recommendations. If recruitment does not yield the required in-town representation, the board indicated it would revisit possible ordinance amendments at a subsequent meeting.
Ending: The board offered informal suggestions for recruitment (personal outreach, website notices) and left the item open for one month of additional solicitation before taking any formal change to the ordinance or creating the advisory board.
