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Commissions FAQ 1
What is the difference between a committee and a commission or a board?
The terms "board" and "commission" are
synonymous and are used interchangeably to refer to independent bodies
authorized by ordinance or statute to perform a particular function in
local government or administer a particular municipal department.
Statutory boards and commissions include the plan commission, the zoning
board of appeals, the board of review, the library board, the utility
commission, the park board and the police and fire commission. Some of
these boards are optional while others are mandatory. Members of boards
and commissions are considered municipal officers and are appointed for
specific terms. The composition, method of selecting members, duties and
powers of statutory boards and commissions are set forth in the
statutes authorizing or mandating the creation of such bodies.
Municipalities may create other,
non-statutory boards and commissions to address local concerns and
issues. The size, composition, function and powers of such bodies are as
set forth in the ordinances creating them.
Committees are different from boards and
commissions. Committees are sub-units of municipal governing bodies.
Committees are created by the governing body and typically are comprised
exclusively of governing body members. The state statutes contain no
provisions relating to the appointment of committees by the common
council or village board.
Committees perform various functions such
as: conduct investigations, review and make recommendations concerning
pending legislative proposals, monitor and report on the work of various
municipal departments and officers, study particular problems and
recommend possible solutions, and otherwise perform detailed work which
it would not be feasible for the entire governing body to accomplish or
which would be too time consuming for the entire body to perform.
Committees are solely creatures of the
governing body and consequently have only as much authority as delegated
to them by the governing body. Typically, committees merely recommend
actions to the governing body.