If you are looking to volunteer, we may have an opportunity for you! Many of you likely know that the City of Beatrice has a Mayor and eight (8) City Council Members, but did you know there are twelve (12) other Boards, Commissions, and Committees (Boards) that help to ensure the City operates smoothly. These Boards are made up of citizens just like you, who are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council, to oversee a portion of the City and make their recommendations to the Mayor and City Council for final approval. We’ve all heard the phrase “It takes a village to raise a child”, I think it could be said that “It takes citizens to build a city”.
As the City Clerk, it is my responsibility to be the record keeper, or at times, chaos coordinator for these Boards. My duties include scheduling the various meetings, which requires reaching out to the members to ensure a quorum will be met for the meeting. A notice is published in the Daily Sun of the upcoming meeting. Each notice must state the date, time, and location of the meeting. I also update the community calendar on the City’s website to include all of the upcoming meetings. Next an agenda is prepared, along with a packet of supporting information, that is distributed to the members for review and made available to the public after the meetings. One of the most important parts of each of these meetings is the minutes that are recorded. If it is a meeting that I am not required to attend, the City Administrator or City Attorney, prepare the minutes for the meeting and I then review them. It is important that the minutes are accurate and clearly lay out the proceedings of the meeting, so that weeks, months, or even years later, there is a historical record of what took place during the meeting. Upon approval by the Board at their next meeting, the minutes are published on our website.
Information on each of the Boards can be found on our website: Our Boards, Commissions, and Committees. Here you will find: a description of what each Board is responsible for; how each Board is composed; the frequency of their meetings; and a list of their current members.
If you are interested in volunteering your time to serve on one (1) of the City’s Boards, please complete a Citizen Board and Commission Expression of Interest form, and submit it to my office. We may have an opportunity for you to be a voice for your community!
Erin Saathoff, CMC
City Clerk, City of Beatrice