Board and Committee Member Letter 11-21-06
D R A F T
November 21, 2006
Letter to Board and Committee Members
The City of Atlantic Beach greatly appreciates your service on one of our many boards and committees. This service requires not only many hours of your time and commitment, but sometimes
requires difficult decisions to vote on issues that may affect our friends and neighbors. However, you can be assured that your service helps make Atlantic Beach the great place to
live and work that it is today.
The purpose of this letter is to pass along some expectations of all of our board and committee members that will help guide you in your service to the city.
1) Attendance. Your attendance at meetings is extremely important. Any absences at the meetings would deny the applicant the full consideration on any issue going before your board.
In some cases, missing a meeting may cause your board or committee to be unable to conduct business for lack of a quorum. We realize that members occasionally have personal conflicts
that may prevent their attendance at all the meetings. It is imperative that you notify your staff liaison as soon as you are aware of the conflict.
2) Representation of the City of Atlantic Beach. You represent the city in very important ways. Memberships on one of the city’s boards or committees often requires that you forego
a certain amount of freedom of personal expression on matters that may be brought before your board or committee. Any expression of individual preferences or philosophies in letters
to the editor or in any other public forum before an item is heard can create the appearance of having your mind made up on an issue.
3) Legal Liability for the City of Atlantic Beach. You can inadvertently create a legal liability for your board and the city by expressing your opinions on an issue before it is considered
and a final vote is taken at a public meeting. In some cases comments made in a public forum can be judged as prejudicial and may cause a decision to be overturned.
After your board or committee has met on an issue, the best way to express your vote or recommendation is through the official minutes. That way, anyone who is interested can read the
minutes and get the facts. If there are any questions about a recommendation made by a board or committee, then the Mayor or Commission may request the chairman to make a presentation
at an upcoming city commission meeting.
The issues that you consider as a board or committee member for the City of Atlantic Beach are important and contribute to our quality of life. The City greatly appreciates your service.