City governments have many roles; elected officials, employed, appointed, and volunteer. The latter of the list is the least discussed and one of the most important.
In a recent interview with KWOR 1340AM Mayor Jim Gill indicated that Worland is facing a volunteer shortage.
“Folks, the city, the county, all these public entities – we need volunteers for boards. It is getting harder and harder to get people to step up to fill in for a planning commission. We also appoint member to the joint powers boards for the community center and swimming pool as well as the tree board.”
He highlighted the roll of volunteering with the joint powers board in ensuring community center functionality.
“They keep the center operational with budgeting and keeping the employees employed. They are very strategic to the success of the community center. The same goes for the swimming pool, the various committees and commissions that we have through the city.”
Mayor Jim Gill mentioned what it means to step up in a community.
“That’s what makes a community, the people who are willing to go the extra mile to serve on some of these boards and I’m not speaking just for the city. The schools, the county, its no different than 4-H. They are always looking for 4-H leaders. That is what makes a community successful, people seem to be busier, but community effort is still needed.”
When asked about volunteer qualifications, councilmember Brookwell mentioned that at one point the boy’s school had done some work with the tree board and led Mayor Gill to confirm that when handled properly and communicated with the appropriate channels individuals under the age of 18 may be eligible to volunteer for certain needs.
If you are interested in volunteering, the Mayor’s contact information can be found here.
Full interview available here.
