Volunteer Opportunities on City Boards, Committees and Commissions

The Yakima City Council is seeking volunteers interested in serving on City of Yakima boards, committees, and commissions:

  • Arts Commission will have an opening for an artist and a community representative.
  • Bicycle/Pedestrian Committee has one vacancy.
  • Board of Appeals currently has two available openings.
  • Community Integration Committee has two openings and one youth opening.
  • Henry Beauchamp Community Center has one opening and two terms ending.
  • Historic Preservation Commission has two terms ending.
  • Yakima Housing Authority has one opening.
  • Parks and Recreation has one opening and one youth opening.
  • Planning Commission has one upcoming opening.

It is the responsibility of the City Council to appoint people to serve on the governing bodies of those organizations.

More about the volunteer opportunities:

  • There is no residency requirement for the Arts Commission. Members serve 3-year terms. The community member shall be from diverse backgrounds and have no vested interest in any particular art or cultural endeavor. The artist shall be a person who has had their works of art exhibited in professional gallery spaces and/or included in professionally juried exhibitions or permanent collections.
  • The Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee has seven members. Members serve a 3-year term and must live within the Yakima city limits.
  • There are seven members on the Board of Appeals who serve 3-year terms. The board currently requires a mechanical contractor or a developer to fill one vacancy and a building industry individual to fill the other.
  • Positions on the Community Integration Committee serve 4-year terms while youth positions serve 2-year terms. Youth applicants must live within Yakima city limits and be between the ages of 16-22 at the time of appointment. Appointments shall be made to ensure that varied community perspectives are represented to the extent possible.
  • There are seven members of the Henry Beauchamp Community Center Advisory Board, all of whom serve 4-year terms and must live within Yakima city limits. This board holds quarterly meetings and makes recommendations to the center operator and the City regarding management policies, operations, maintenance, and capital improvement needs.
  • There are seven members of the Historic Preservation Commission, all of whom serve 4-year terms and must live within Yakima city limits. Members shall include at least three professionals who have experience in identifying, evaluating, and protecting historic resources and are selected from among the disciplines of history, architecture, architectural history, landscape architecture, historic preservation, planning, folklore, cultural anthropology, prehistoric and historic archaeology, American studies, curation, traditional building crafts, the practice of historic rehabilitation or restoration, finance and banking, law, real estate, or related disciplines.
  • The Housing Authority has five members. Members serve a 5-year term and City of Yakima residency is not required. Members meet every fourth Wednesday at the Housing Authority Office.
  • Members of the Parks and Recreation Commission must live within Yakima city limits and youth members must be between 16-22 years of age at the time of appointment in order to be eligible to serve a 2-year term. Currently, there is one vacancy and one youth vacancy.
  • There are seven members of the Planning Commission, all of whom serve 4-year terms and must live within Yakima city limits or own a business or real property within city limits. The Planning Commission meets twice monthly and works on long range planning issues within city limits.

Additional information on the duties and responsibilities of each committee can be found at https://www.yakimawa.gov/council/boards-commissions/.

Anyone interested in applying for openings can download an application from the City of Yakima website – https://www.yakimawa.gov/council/assets/Application-form-for-City-of-Yakima-Boards-and-Commissions.pdf

Contact City Clerk Sonya Claar Tee by phone, 509-575-6037, or e-mail, sonya.claartee@yakimawa.gov, for more information about current or future openings on City of Yakima boards, committees, or commissions.