Humboldt County commissioners appointed six county residents to a variety of community boards at their first commission meeting in July. Those who were appointed or re-appointed applied for volunteer (no compensation) service on the Winnemucca Convention and Visitors Authority, Library Board, Paradise Valley Weed District, Advisory Board to Manage Wildlife, and Ag District 3.
Those who were re-appointed have already given years of that volunteer service, and some who would still be willing to serve on community boards are prevented by term limits; after 12 years of service they're no longer eligible.
Commissioners have commented that in Humboldt County's small communities, putting term limits on the few residents available to serve doesn't seem to make sense. There's a chance that situation could change after the coming year's Nevada Legislative session. Momentum may be growing for efforts in the state to abolish term limits. State Sen.Tick Segerblom (D-Las Vegas) said recently he has plans for a bill draft to do away with term limits. In a story from Associated Press, he called term limits "a failed experiment."
Even if area residents weren't prevented by term limits from participating, there's another issue that dissuades some from serving their communities on boards - the requirement for financial disclosure and reporting. Some people don't really want to list details or their family members' derived income - "They don't think it's anyone's business," commented County Administrator Bill Deist.
Others just don't want the hassle of trying to remember to file the reports, due several times a year, and there have been some board members whose failure to file reports on time has resulted in significant fines from the Nevada Secretary of State's Office.
These issues, added to complaints about their decisions, criticism of their efforts, and difficulty getting along with other board members have resulted in a situation where there are quite a few county boards having difficulty getting enough volunteers to continue to operate.
Right now, due to this problem, the county commissioners are serving as the board for the Quinn River TV District. There was no choice; no volunteers were able or willing.
That situation could be repeated in the case of several other boards. There are, for instance, open positions on the Humboldt Regional Planning Commission, the Advisory Board to Manage Wildlife, the Denio TV Maintenance District, Kings River General Improvement District (GID), Orovada GID, Paradise Valley Sewer District and Pueblo Rural Fire Protection District.
If prospective board members don't volunteer, some occasional begging and arm-twisting is employed. Regional Planning Commission member Lewis Trout has been beating the bushes to encourage applicants to that board and recently successfully encouraged the latest county planning commission appointee.
If efforts to get volunteers don't work, either the county commissioners have to take over the work done by that board, or both the work and the board just go away.
Deist said that's what has happened with the Denio TV District. The District doesn't have a board anymore; the TV District assessments were reduced to the point there's not really enough money to do anything, said Deist. He added it's likely the Denio TV District will cease to be an entity, as most people in that area already access TV service in other ways.
Humboldt County commissioners and Winnemucca City councilmen both receive pay and contributions into the Public Employee Retirement System for their service. Members of the school board and hospital board receive a small reimbursement for their service, but Winnemucca Convention and Visitors Authority, Humboldt Development Authority, Humboldt Regional Planning Commission and all the other boards and districts are strictly voluntary positions with no reimbursement, even for costs that board members incur as part of their service.
Given all the challenges, it's impressive that so many give so much to community service. Some people like recent WCVA appointee, Herb Ross, find that community service has its own rewards.
"I want to be involved in the community. Everywhere I've lived, I've gotten involved; that's where my heart is," said Ross.[[In-content Ad]]
