CAMARILLO : Panel Will Screen Board Applications

Applications to serve on Camarillo’s citizen boards and committees will now receive more scrutiny under a plan approved this week by City Council members.

The city officials agreed on Wednesday to form panel of two council members to screen applications for city committees and boards. The move will minimize the difficulty of choosing between candidates for positions on the city’s 15 committees, Mayor Charlotte Craven said.

“The old questionnaire doesn’t really give you a good idea about a person’s qualifications for a specialized committee,” Craven said before the unanimous vote.

Past selections were sometimes difficult because of the scanty information provided by the applicants, Craven said. “When a person listed a previous committee involvement, it was difficult to know whether that meant it was a strength, an interest or if they just had their hand raised when someone asked for volunteers,” she said.

Under the new procedure, the council committee will review applications to ensure the applicant is a resident of the city, and check references and conduct interviews when necessary.

The committee will then advance its recommendation to the full council, which will still have the final say in choosing which residents will serve four-year terms on the boards and committees.

Councilmen Stanley J. Daily and David Smith were named to serve on the evaluation committee.