Politics & Government
Roseville Council Appoints Three Residents to Fill Commission Vacancies
Appointments come as city staff notes fewer people applying to fill commission openings.
The Roseville Council has filled vacancies on three city commissions, making appointments to each of the advisory groups.
At its meeting last week, the Council appointed Janet Henquinet to the Police Civil Service Commission; Michele Courneya to the Human Rights Commission; and Mohamed Keynan to the Planning Commission.
Courneya and Keynan are filling terms which both end on March 31, 2015. Henquinet's terms expires on March 31, 2016. Full-length terms run three years on all city commissions.
The Council's latest appointments came as interim City Manager Pat Trudgeon noted applications have been dropping to fill commission vacancies in recent years.
In a staff report, Trudgeon said that's a trend he also seeing in other cities.
"For comparison, in 2005, Roseville received 28 applications for 10 vacancies," Trudgeon said. "In 2010, the City received nine applications for three vacancies.
"Earlier this year, the City received 11 applications for six vacancies," Trudgeon added.
Trudgeon said Roseville staff asked several Minnesota cities if they are seeing similar trends. "All of the cities reported a drop in applications to serve on commissions," he said.
Trudgeon added: "One city noted that more people are stepping down midterm, and one city is considering reducing the size of their commissions. One city reported an increase among youth commission applicants, and another said the numbers have started to improve."
Roseville staff found, in an online, that there has been a shifting trend on how people volunteer.
"Volunteers tend to want to “micro-volunteer” or “episodic” volunteer – donating a few hours or dollars or work on a specific task," Trudgeon said .
He said he is unsure if the micro-volunteer trend is the reason for the drop in the number of applicants, "but we are looking at alternative ways to recruit, including using more social media and more direct outreach."
At its meeting last week, the Council appointed Janet Henquinet to the Police Civil Service Commission; Michele Courneya to the Human Rights Commission; and Mohamed Keynan to the Planning Commission.
Courneya and Keynan are filling terms which both end on March 31, 2015. Henquinet's terms expires on March 31, 2016. Full-length terms run three years on all city commissions.
The Council's latest appointments came as interim City Manager Pat Trudgeon noted applications have been dropping to fill commission vacancies in recent years.
In a staff report, Trudgeon said that's a trend he also seeing in other cities.
"For comparison, in 2005, Roseville received 28 applications for 10 vacancies," Trudgeon said. "In 2010, the City received nine applications for three vacancies.
"Earlier this year, the City received 11 applications for six vacancies," Trudgeon added.
Trudgeon said Roseville staff asked several Minnesota cities if they are seeing similar trends. "All of the cities reported a drop in applications to serve on commissions," he said.
Trudgeon added: "One city noted that more people are stepping down midterm, and one city is considering reducing the size of their commissions. One city reported an increase among youth commission applicants, and another said the numbers have started to improve."
Roseville staff found, in an online, that there has been a shifting trend on how people volunteer.
"Volunteers tend to want to “micro-volunteer” or “episodic” volunteer – donating a few hours or dollars or work on a specific task," Trudgeon said .
He said he is unsure if the micro-volunteer trend is the reason for the drop in the number of applicants, "but we are looking at alternative ways to recruit, including using more social media and more direct outreach."
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