The City of Somerville’s intergovernmental affairs office presented a memo to the council committee on Feb. 5 proposing changes to the reappointment process for boards, commissions and committees.

The memorandum, circulated to current board and commission members and liaisons, asks members who have completed a first term to indicate continued interest through their liaison and states that, after a second consecutive term, a seat would be opened for other applicants (including the incumbent, who may reapply). The office said the change is intended to expand opportunities for residents to serve on local bodies.

Legislative liaison Kimberly Hutter (Intergovernmental Affairs) told the committee the administration has already revamped recruitment, filling 91 vacant seats in recent cycles, and that the reappointment process is the next step. Hutter said the staff plan is to review boards alphabetically, starting this year, and that the effort could take multiple years to avoid creating quorum issues.

Councilors asked why alphabetical order was chosen. Hutter said the sequence was adopted to create a predictable, systematized process and that staff would prioritize bodies with quorum problems or other urgent needs when necessary. Several councilors urged more flexible prioritization — for example, starting with adjudicatory or high-impact boards — and asked for clearer guidance on liaison roles and member term dates.

Concerns raised during the discussion included the possible effect on volunteer recruitment and on experienced long-serving members. Councilor McLaughlin said the policy could be perceived as a de facto term limit and warned that requiring reapplication might discourage volunteers; Hutter and staff clarified that incumbents are not barred from reappointment and may reapply. Committee members sought assurances that the administration would provide timelines for each body and offer outreach to clarify term dates.

Hutter said staff had received questions from board members about term lengths and timing; staff plan to produce an informational event for liaisons and members and to share schedules as the alphabetical review proceeds. Committee members asked staff to consider whether some boards should be evaluated earlier than their alphabetical order depending on city priorities.

The committee took the memo as an informational item and placed it on file.