A Call to Action
Do you remember what it felt like the first time someone asked you for advice? Maybe you were at work one day and you suddenly realized you were the most senior member on staff. Perhaps you were in college and came home to visit your parents, who suddenly trusted your formal education and the knowledge you had gained. It might have been more recently than that, when your grown children finally telephoned to ask for help fixing a car or baking a cake. We are all experts at something, and it feels good to be helpful and lend our expertise to others.
It is with that premise in mind that I’m asking you to consider lending your expertise to your community. Your city needs you.
The vision of the City of Texarkana, Texas, is to be a thriving regional center for education, business and culture which attracts and serves our residents and visitors. To accomplish our vision and mission, it takes a network of selfless volunteers who advise the city as part of its board and commissions. These volunteers often not only have a significant impact on identifying the needs and future plans of our community, but they often provide invaluable feedback to city staff on current initiatives as well.
Because of the vital role these volunteers play, we have recently revamped our boards and commissions application process to encourage more community members to become actively involved in local government. A new webpage is now available that provides descriptions of each board, commission and committee, along with term dates, duties, residency requirements and meeting schedules.
The City of Texarkana has a number of City Council-appointed boards, commissions and committees, and sometimes the City Council may appoint ad hoc committees for special purposes. As a part of this year’s process, the city’s staff has proposed to restart Keep Texarkana Beautiful (KTB), which was organized in 2010 to promote the beautification of the Texarkana community.
Some boards, commissions and committees have residency requirements or require special skills and knowledge, while others do not. Board, commission and committee members are required to attend regularly scheduled meetings. A current list of each board and commission, along with current appointments and openings can be found at www.ci.texarkana.tx.us/370/Boards-and-Commissions.
If you are interested in serving on a board or need more information, please contact Jennifer Evans, Texarkana, Texas City Secretary at (903) 798-3930 or email j.evans@txkusa.org. The city will receive applications annually from persons interested in serving during the summer months. To begin the process of filling these vacancies, an altered schedule may be necessary this first year and applications will be accepted until July 15th. Applicants to boards and commissions that are currently full will be held for City Council consideration for the next available vacancy.
