How Boards and Commissions Work
Each board or commission has a specific statement of purpose and function. Boards and commissions meet periodically, usually once a month. Rockville board and commission members serve as volunteers without compensation. While the boards and commissions work directly for the Mayor and Council, daily assistance and support is provided by the City Clerk's and City Manager's Offices.

The Role of the City Clerk's Office
The City Clerk's Office coordinates all member activities, including member and chairperson appointments and reappointments. The City Clerk's Office publishes the Policies and Procedures for Boards, Committees, and Commissions, which outlines the volunteer's role, commission operating policies, appointment procedures, etc. Official minutes of all meetings are kept in the City Clerk's Office.

The City Clerk's Office also maintains an official directory of elected and appointed officials and members of all boards, committees, and commissions. This document is updated periodically and is available upon request.

The Role of the City Manager's Office
The City Manager's Office coordinates all staff activities for the boards and commissions. The city manager is represented at all board and commission meetings by a staff liaison who is appointed by and responsible to the city manager, through the appropriate department head.

The primary role of the staff liaison is to provide technical support to the board or commission. The staff liaison works with the city clerk to facilitate the flow of information between the Mayor and Council and the board or commission. He or she also is responsible for keeping the city manager informed, through the department head, of all board or commission activities.

The staff liaison may assist the board, committee, or commission in a variety of ways; however, the staff liaison is not an employee of the board or commission. The staff liaison's responsibilities may include informing the members of items of special interest (e.g., magazine articles), providing information on Mayor and Council agenda items or decisions that are of interest to the members, and providing technical and clerical assistance as dictated by individual board or commission needs (i.e., taking minutes, copying, preparing meeting agendas, requesting information from City departments, etc.).

Serving on a Board or Commission
Vacancies on boards and commissions are announced in each issue of Rockville Reports. Any Rockville citizen may apply to serve. Anyone employed by or under contract to the City is not eligible to serve on a board or commission. Individuals may serve on only one board or commission at a given time (with the exception of ad hoc committees or task forces) to give as many residents as possible the opportunity to participate.

Anyone interested in serving on a citizen board or commission may write to the Mayor and Council, c/o City Clerk, Rockville City Hall, 111 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, MD 20850, or contact the City Clerk's Office at 240-314-8281 for more information or fill out and submit an Expression of Interest Form (pdf).