Become a Committee Member
Are you interested in participating in your local government? The City of Essex Junction has the following opportunities for community members to help support, advise, and guide our municipality. Applicants must be residents of the City of Essex Junction. All positions receive a $50 per meeting stipend. For more information on the boards, commissions, and committees, visit their webpages under the Boards and Meetings drop-down menu.
To apply for an open position, please tell us why you are interested in joining the committee, what education, experiences, and background you bring to the committee, and what you hope to accomplish during your term on the following form. For current members wishing to be re-appointed, please tell us why you want to be reappointed, what you have enjoyed about your time, what you have accomplished, and what you hope to accomplish in another term.
Current Opportunities
Updated: April 30, 2025
Bike-Walk Advisory Committee
Number of Openings: 1
Role: The purpose of the Bike/Walk Advisory Committee is to advance Essex Junction as a friendly neighborhood community where bicycling and walking are encouraged, and where sidewalks, bike paths, multi-use paths, and other facilities are provided and maintained in order to enhance the year-round safety, accessibility, convenience, enjoyment, and health of all citizens. The Bike/Walk Advisory Committee consists of six members appointed by the City Council.
Meeting Frequency: 1x/Month
Term Length: 3-Year Term
Capital Program Review Committee
Number of Openings: 1
Role: The Capital Program Review Committee was established by the City Council in 2012 to examine all the City of Essex Junction’s municipal capital needs (streets and highways, water, vehicles, buildings) and develop a prioritized list of capital improvement projects. The Capital Program Review Committee is comprised of a member of the City Council, one member of the Planning Commission and five citizen volunteers.
Meeting Frequency: 1x/Quarter
Term Length: 3-Year Term
Development Review Board
Number of Openings: 2
Role: The Development Review Board (DRB) has legally binding authority over building and development projects in Essex Junction. The Essex Junction City Council appoints the five-member Board to three-year terms. The DRB approves or denies applications for development projects by interpreting and applying the rules spelled out in Essex Junction's Land Development Code, zoning regulations, and Comprehensive Plan. The DRB also settles appeals from builders, developers, and property owners of decisions made by the Essex Junction Zoning Administrator regarding requests for variances from zoning and land use regulations.
Development Review Board meetings are considered 'quasi-judicial hearings,' similar to court proceedings, and the DRB's decisions are expected to be narrowly focused and well-reasoned. The Essex Junction staff provides technical and legal assistance to the DRB, but members must be able to competently interpret and apply the logic and reasoning of Essex Junction's Land Development Code and other applicable regulations.
Meeting Frequency: 1x/Month
Term Length: 3-Year Term
Governance Committee
Number of Openings: 1
Governance Committee shall represent the best interests of the City and its residents by serving in an advisory capacity to the City Council for the purpose of studying governance considerations for the City such as, but not limited to, form of government, election of officials at-large or through wards or districts, governing body composition, term of office, term limits, and councilor compensation.
Meeting Frequency: 2x/Month
Term Length: Until November 2025
Moderator
Number of Openings: 1
A moderator's role is to oversee and manage discussions or events, ensuring they stay on track, adhere to rules, and maintain a positive environment. They facilitate interactions, ask insightful questions, and may enforce time limits. They will preside at the next City Informational Meeting or any other City meeting as needed.
Meeting Frequency: As Needed
Term Length: 1-Year Term
Planning Commission
Number of Openings: 2
Role: The Planning Commission writes and revises Essex Junction’s Comprehensive Plan, which is the overarching document that embodies the city’s strategic vision and long-term growth objectives. Within that framework, the Commission also formulates changes to the City’s Land Development Code and Zoning Regulations, which contain the rules and technical specifications that builders and developers must follow to have their projects approved. Commission members are appointed to three-year terms by the Essex Junction City Council.
Meeting Frequency: 1x/Month
Term Length: 3-Year Term
Police Community Advisory Board
Number of Openings: 1
Role: As an independent board, the PCAB’s purpose is to facilitate communication between the Essex Junction community and the Essex Police Department (EPD) and provide feedback and support to the EPD on strategies and policy, especially around issues of equity. Central to this stated purpose is an emphasis on ensuring the voices and needs of systemically marginalized, disenfranchised and oppressed members of the community are heard with regard to public safety.
Meeting Frequency: 1x/Month
Term Length: 2-Year Term
Tree Advisory Committee
Number of Openings: 2
Role: The Tree Advisory Committee is an advisory organization established by the City Council in 2013 that works with the City Tree Warden to promote the improvement and preservation of a healthy environment as it relates to public trees. The committee provides a mechanism for the planting, maintenance, protection and removal of trees on public streets, parks and City-owned properties.
Meeting Frequency: 1x/Month
Term Length: 3-Year Term
VERMONT PUBLIC RECORDS LAW
Under Vermont's Public Records Act, 1 V.S.A. §§ 315-320, any person has the right to request inspection or copying of a public record from government agencies, including municipalities.
Documents in the possession of public officials for municipal business are classified as public records and are available to the public unless excluded under the Public Records Act.
Applicants are discouraged from submitting information considered proprietary unless it is deemed essential for proper evaluation of the application. However, if the application contains information that the applicant considers to be trade secrets or confidential, the pages containing that information should be identified.
Please note, some information in a public record may be redacted, narrowed, or denied in accordance with State law if it could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.