Board of Appeals Applicants Sought

The Montgomery County Council is seeking applicants for a four-year term on the county’s Board of Appeals. The term of Carolyn Shawaker (Democrat) will expire in September 2013. Shawaker is eligible for reappointment to a second term and has indicated her intent to apply for reappointment. Applications for the position must be received no later than 5 p.m. on July 10.

By law, no more than three members of the board shall be from the same political party. This position can be filled by a Democrat, a Republican, a voter who declines to affiliate with a party or a voter who is a member of another party officially recognized by the Board of Elections.

Current members of the board include Chair Catherine Titus (Republican), John Pentecost (Democrat), Stan Boyd (Democrat), and David K. Perdue (declined to affiliate). Members of County boards, committees and commissions may not serve on more than one such group at a time.

Members of the board receive $14,913 annually, with the Chair receiving $21,077. Salaries are adjusted annually each December to reflect 50 percent of the change in the Washington Area Consumer Price Index.

Duties of the Board of Appeals include making decisions on most applications for special exceptions as provided in the Zoning Ordinance; hearing and deciding requests for variances from development standards contained in the Zoning Ordinance; and hearing appeals from certain administrative decisions rendered by county government agencies.

The board normally holds weekly hearings all day Wednesday and worksessions every other week. If necessary to accommodate an extended caseload or continued hearings, the board schedules hearings on other weekdays. Members are expected to prepare for the hearings by reading the cases to be heard and to share the workload of drafting and editing opinions or to follow-up on investigations on specific cases. Members work approximately 15-25 hours a week.

The principal jurisdiction of the Board of Appeals (concerning special exceptions and variances under the Zoning Ordinance) does not include the municipalities of Barnesville, Brookeville, Gaithersburg, Laytonsville, Poolesville, Rockville and Washington Grove. The normal Council practice is not to appoint residents of those municipalities to the Board.

Letters expressing interest, including a resume listing professional and civic experience, should be addressed to Council President Nancy Navarro, County Council Office, Stella B. Werner Council Office Building, 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20850. Applications can be submitted via e-mail to: county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov. Applications must be received no later than 5 p.m. on July 10. It is the Council’s policy not to consider applications received after the deadline. After the deadline, Councilmembers will review the letters of application and select applicants for interviews.

Letters of application are made public as part of the appointment process. The names of all applicants are published and resumes are made available for public review. Interviews are open to the public. A financial statement of assets, debts, income and family property interests will be required of all applicants. Only the appointed candidates will be required to make the financial statement available to the public.

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