The Ingham County Board of Commissioners, or the Chairperson with the concurrence of the Board, appoint County residents to a variety of advisory boards and commissions.

How Vacancies are Created

A vacancy on a County board or commission occurs when:

- An appointee submits a letter of resignation to the Board of Commissioners and it is accepted;

- The advisory board/commission submits a written request to the Board of Commissioners asking that the appointees be removed due to absenteeism, appointees who miss three consecutive meetings without reasonable cause can be removed from a board or commission; and

The appointees' term expires. Appointees are limited to two consecutive terms or six consecutive years, whichever is greater.

Criteria Used in Selecting Applicants

When attempting to select the best candidate to fill a vacancy on an advisory board/commission, the liaison committee or Board Chairperson may consider the following:

The overall community representation on the advisory board/commission, particularly those interests which had been represented by the individual who resigned or whose term will be expiring;

The applicant's background and experience in particular areas, such as knowledge of the subject area which the board/commission addresses, familiarity with fiscal management, and so forth;

The applicant's current employment and whether this would compliment the appointment or create a potential conflict of interest.
The liaison committee or Board Chairperson must also determine if the candidate is ineligible for these reasons:

Not a resident of Ingham County;

Already served two consecutive terms or six consecutive years, whichever is greater; or
Is presently a member of another advisory board/commission with a concurrent term.
In addition, some boards require very specific composition (service limited to Commissioners or other elected officials, or to representatives of specific program areas). Such requirements are, of course, considered in order to assure compliance.

Application Process

Applications are accepted year round in the Board of Commissioner's Office. In the event that there are not enough applications on file from which to make a selection, a press release will be sent to the media seeking applications. Upon the application deadline, the applications will be sent to the appropriate Committee or the Board Chairperson.

Appointments made by the Liaison Committee require a resolution that will go before the Board of Commissioners for approval. However, appointments made by the Chairperson of the Board are made at the Board meetings, under Special Orders of the Day and are then approved by the Board.

After the appointments are made, the individuals selected will be notified in writing of their appointment, along with the date their term will expire.

Applicants not selected will receive a letter indicating that they were not appointed and that their application will remain on file for the next five months and will be considered for any vacancies occurring. After that time a new application form will need to be completed and resubmitted.

Contact Person:
Becky Bennett, Board Coordinator
P.O. Box 319
Mason, MI 48854
Phone: (517) 676-7200 Fax: (517) 676-7264