By MANUEL LARA
Manuel Lara
City Manager
Special to the News
The City of San Benito is blessed to have so many volunteers serving on our many active advisory boards. All totaled, the number of positions on those boards is around 100.
They spend countless hours reviewing ordinances, listening to citizens’ concerns, researching the facts of an issue and making tough decisions.
The complete list of our advisory boards is as follows:
Board of Adjustments, Building Standards and Renewal Board, Community Development Block Grant Advisory Committee, Civil Service Board, Culture and Heritage Board, Library Board, Ordinance Review Board, Parks & Recreation Board, Planning and Zoning Board, Special Events Board, Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone Board, Traffic Safety Board, Utilities Board and Veterans Board.
Board members are appointed by the City Commission to serve terms concurrent with their own elected terms. They serve one to three years and can be reappointed once their terms expire. These are regular citizens who volunteer their time and talent, and receive no pay for their service. Mayor and Commissioners, in making selections to fill the positions on these boards, look for individuals who have expertise in the areas that will benefit the City.
For example, our Planning and Zoning Board has realtors, surveyors and professional business people serving. The Civil Service Board has people who have worked under Civil Service law, and who have served as personnel administrators. The Veterans’ Advisory Board consists of people who have served in our military branches. The Community Development Advisory Committee is made up of persons who represent specific zones within the City, and they are required to live within that zone.
These volunteers are people just like you and me. They make hundreds of decisions each year. Some are praised, and some are panned. It can be a tough job, but we appreciate the service of all of our board members.
These boards are sometimes confused with other entities that are separate and apart from the City of San Benito. Those would include the San Benito Public Housing Authority and the Economic Development Corporation. I can see where it can be confusing, as members on the Housing Authority Board are appointed by the Mayor with the consent of the Commission. And appointments to the EDC are made on a rotating basis by the Commission.
Further, the Housing Authority receives its funding from the federal government, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, not the City. Its board, with direction form its executive director, makes decisions which do not require approval of the City Commission.
The Economic Development Corporation was created by a vote of the citizens of San Benito many years ago. It is required to follow State law, but it also may require approval of the City Commission for such things as land acquisition, project approval and their budget. It is a 4B corporation, obtaining its funding from a one-half cent sales tax on local purchases.
We are fortunate to have so many dedicated and caring people who work in positive ways for the benefit of our community. We thank them for their unselfish work and expertise. We should also thank their families, as they are the people who support these volunteers in their endeavors. We are always seeking potential board members. If you wish to serve, please contact our City Secretary, Lupita Passement, at 361-3800 or at lpassement@cityofsanbenito.com for an application that will be provided to our elected officials for their consideration.
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