Charge to the Search Committee

The committee shall advise the Board of Selectmen, the Finance Committee and the Town Moderator concerning the names and qualifications of taxpayers' of the town available to serve on multi-member bodies. Additionally, the Search Committee shall periodically review all committee charges and make recommendations to the Board of selectmen to consolidate, eliminate, add and/or recharge committees.

The Search Committee may establish procedures for soliciting candidates for consideration including, but not limited to, direct contact, newspaper or other media advertisements, and personal knowledge and recommendations. Further, the Search Committee members may consult with current and former committee members or chairs to assist in determining preferred skills for individuals to be considered. Only town residents or taxpayers are eligible for consideration for appointment to town committees. In certain cases, employees may be appointed to a committee as an advisory member unless prohibited by law. All potential candidates shall be informed of their responsibilities under the Open Meeting Law and Ethics Law, and told of the requirement to take the ethics exam available on line, prior to being sworn into a position, and that additional information on the Open Meeting law is available from the Town Clerk and the Attorney General, and additional information on Ethics is available from the Town Clerk and the Secretary of State Office.

The Chair of the Search Committee, upon receipt of a committee vacancy, shall convene a meeting of the Search Committee to begin the process of filling the vacancy. The process is as follows:

• Review appropriate applications in the committee applications book at Town Hall.
• Contact subject committee chair to review applicant pool and confirm next meeting date and time.
• Contact the applicant(s) to determine whether they are still interested in being on the committee(s) noted on their form, and whether they have attended subject committee meetings before. (If not, inform the applicant(s) of the next scheduled committee(s) meeting date(s) and times.) All applicants are required to attend a committee meeting prior to appointment to the committee. If the committee does not have a meeting scheduled, then, the Search Committee shall contact the Chair of the subject committee and encourage h/she to meet with the applicant prior to the interview.
• Interviews of all applicants will be conducted by an interview panel consisting of one member from the Search Committee, one member of the Board of Selectmen (This may be the liaison to the Search Committee, the liaison to the subject committee, or a Selectman designated by the Chair of the Board of Selectman) and the Chair or his/her designee, from the multi member committee/board/commission needing a new member. (These interviews are subject to the open meeting law posting requirements. These meetings are public meetings but not public hearings, and while the public is invited to attend, they are not allowed to participate, or question the candidate in said interview/meetings.)
• The interview panel shall select preferred candidate(s) for appointment by the Board of Selectmen and forward a written recommendation stating the reasons therefore. No candidate shall be recommended without a positive vote of the Committee Chair and Selectman representative on the interview panel.
• On the next available Monday night meeting, the Board of Selectmen, having reviewed the application and recommendation of the search committee, shall meet the candidate. The candidate will be encouraged to give a 1 or 2 minute overview of their background, qualifications, or service history.
• The Board of Selectmen shall appoint the recommended candidate, on Monday or at the following Wednesday meeting.

Committee created by the Eastham Home Rule Charter - 1992, and as amended May 2010

Approved by Board of Selectmen on October 4, 2010

Pending adoption of a special act by the State Legislature, submitted June 2010, to change the Town Charter.