by CYNDY SLOVAK-BARTON
What makes a person want to volunteer for a city committee job? It doesn’t pay, it seems to be thankless, and residents gripe at you.
And, yet, it is a vital part of keeping a town running, of making sure that Buda remains Buda.
Needless to say, Buda city councilmembers are seeking volunteers for various commissions and committees, and, at the same time, talking about what can be done to be more supportive of volunteers and their needs.
That’s the result of a long discussion at a council meeting held Saturday morning at Cabela’s meeting room, as council members held a casual team-building meeting.
Other items on the agenda included a presentation by city attorney Charles Zach about the requirements of the city’s ethics ordinance, lessons on city government and the Texas Open Meetings Act requirements.
All-in-all, a lot to take in, and aimed directly at the newest members of the city council. All council members with the exception of George Haehn were in attendance.
At this time, the city of Buda has six to seven commissions and committees working at any one time, including Planning and Zoning, the Zoning Board of Adjustment, Parks and Recreation, Library Board and more. Each of these has either seven regular members, or five members and two alternates, depending on the committee.
That’s a lot of volunteers, and a lot of dedication.
Councilmember Eileen Altmiller, who herself got involved in the council after serving many years on the library board, put the topic on the agenda because she felt committee volunteers needed help.
“Members (of the commissions) don’t feel valued some times,” Altmiller said. She said they are volunteering to take on the tasks, but many times didn’t feel the support of the council.
For one reason, she said, the council policy has been to have two volunteers presented to the board for each open position. Then, those volunteers are invited to the meeting, and, with two people sitting there, one of them gets rejected.
Not a good feeling, Altmiller reiterated, pointing out that the rejection could make people not want to volunteer.
Time and training are also an issue when it comes to the committees.
Bobby Lane, councilmember and former mayor, said he thinks commission members need to know what they are getting into. Education and training are important in these positions, he said. “Maybe we need to give each possible board member a ‘white paper’ which outlines their responsibilities,” Lane said.
At this time, several of the committees have term limits, forcing volunteers off committees after they have spent years learning the ropes.
In fact, councilmember Ron Fletcher decided to run for council after having exactly that happen to him.
Almost all of the current council members got their start in city governance by serving on a Buda committee, including Altmiller, Fletcher, Mayor Todd Ruge and council member Jose Montoya. And, most of them have run into the problem of term limits.
Will the council decide to eliminate term limits? It is a possibility, according to Ruge.
“What’s good for the goose is good for the gander,” Ruge said, adding that the council itself had no term limits. “If we have term limits on commissions, then we’d have to have term limits for ourselves.”
Lane also pointed out that there is value in having historical knowledge – from those who have served a lot of years – on the committees.
So, what’s the final idea?
Give committee volunteers some support by making sure they get their packets and read them, making sure they understand their responsibilities, and by having the city staff put on a workshop, something like a citizenship academy, that is aimed at the volunteers, to help them through the process.
Residents within the city limits and also within the Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction can volunteer for various city committees by contacting city hall.
