Columbia Council adopts Matchboard tool and process tweaks for boards and commissions appointments

City staff and Matchboard demonstrated the online application and management platform the city uses to recruit and vet candidates for 36 boards, commissions and committees.

Emily Bowerman, director of Matchboard, told council the platform is operated by the nonprofit South Carolina Women in Leadership and is already embedded on the city’s website. "Matchboard is actually a project of the nonprofit South Carolina Women in Leadership, and it is a board and commission management platform used by 15 local governments in the state," Bowerman said. She walked council through creating a profile, applying to a board, uploading a resume and tracking application status.

Pamela Benjamin, assistant manager for administrative services, and Ashley Jenkins, the city’s special projects coordinator, said the city lists vacancies for a minimum of 30 days and that staff will continue to advertise openings through community partners and press releases. Council asked staff to send vacancy notices and the Matchboard link in a format that members can forward to neighborhood groups and community organizations. The council asked that the boards and commissions page be made more prominent on the city website.

Council and staff discussed a dropdown field that had allowed applicants to pick from multiple council district numbers not used in Columbia; staff and Matchboard agreed to remove the council‑district dropdown and replace it with an address field that staff will verify against the city GIS on the back end. Staff said they will provide a PDF report of board membership and term expirations and will send reminders 90 days before terms expire.

Council reviewed residency and eligibility policy changes previously adopted: applicants must generally live in the city unless a board’s authorizing law or bylaws require a special profession or external representation. Councilmembers asked staff to be strategic in showing council applicants who live outside city limits and to avoid sending full paper binders for applicants who are not qualified. Matchboard staff said the system allows staff to mark applicants "in consideration," "deferred" or "not qualified," and that applicants see status updates in their Matchboard accounts.

Staff and Matchboard agreed to make the requested form and notification changes and to provide an updated process memo and the current PDF listing of board members and term dates. The council also said appointments will continue to be scheduled on alternate council meeting agendas rather than being consolidated quarterly.

Ending

Staff will implement the application form changes, provide the council snapshot link for live review of applicants, and deliver a current PDF roster of all boards and commissions and upcoming term expirations.