Gilbert clerk outlines changes to boards and commissions application, recommends more staff‑liaison input
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Summary
Town Clerk staff reviewed the current application and interview process for boards and commissions, reported council feedback, and recommended adding a staff‑liaison screening step, tailoring questions to each board and keeping the video interview component; council members debated how much direct council involvement is appropriate.
Town Clerk staff presented proposed refinements to Gilbert’s boards, commissions and committees application and interview process after soliciting council feedback.
Staff described the current workflow: applications open about two months before appointment dates, a required one‑way video interview (one general question) is collected, council members individually score interviews over 2–3 weeks, and the clerk’s office tallies scores and schedules in‑person interviews for twice the number of openings. Executive‑session in‑person interviews are conducted pursuant to the statute permitting appointment discussions to be held in executive session; final appointments are made by majority vote in public session.
What staff heard: council members said staff liaison input is valuable and should be incorporated earlier in the screening period. Opinions differed on the degree of council involvement: some council members preferred the liaison plus staff screening with limited full‑council interview time, while others said the full council should remain closely involved and were willing to spend extra time to interview more finalists. Several council members suggested the one‑way video could ask additional or different questions to reduce redundancy with in‑person interviews.
Staff recommendations: add a staff liaison review period before council review; tailor interview questions to board‑specific needs using the video platform’s flexibility; maintain current practice of interviewing roughly twice the number of openings but consider a cap for larger recruitment cycles if council directs; and provide consistent executive‑session and interview protocols for council and applicants.
Ending: Council members expressed a range of preferences about the level of full‑council involvement; staff said they will refine options and return with alternative question sets and procedural updates for council direction.