Milliken residents sought for board vacancies

Milliken needs a couple of people to step up and fill two long-standing vacancies on the town's planning commission.

Two spots opened about four months ago when one board member died and another moved out of town. The seven-member board is down to five now. Town Administrator Sheryl Trent said no one has formally applied for the positions so far.

The commission meets twice a month on Wednesday nights and has a staff that prepares reports and recommendations. There are no requirements for serving on the commission except for living in town and having an interest in its development.

The board reviews any sort of growth or development that goes on in town. That might mean a request to change how property is zoned, to build a new housing development or a new retail space, for instance. Commissioners can ask questions, give feedback and ultimately submit a recommendation to the town board for project approval.

"You don't have to have experience in land use," Trent said. "You don't have to be a real estate agent or a lawyer or anything like that."

She added that anyone who may worry about having a conflict of interest can always recuse themselves, meaning they wouldn't have input on a project's outcome.

Trent said it's uncommon to have openings for several months, and it probably is because most people don't know the openings are there. She also suggested anyone interested may come to the next planning commission meeting at 7 p.m. Nov. 7.

Submit applications

Applications can be submitted online at http://town.milliken.co.us, or by calling town hall at (970) 587-4331.