A Village Council is a form of local government
associated with small municipalities similar to the Village of Concord. A
village council is responsible for making the decisions necessary for the
operation of their community on behalf of the citizens who elected them.
Decisions made on Village matters by Council members often consist of
budgetary, human resources, allocation of resources, policy and procedures.
When your taxes, water rates, etc. are raised, so are your Village Council
member's taxes, water rates, etc raised, as a result very much thought and
research has been put into these decisions before they are made. Other roles
and responsibilities of Council members may vary depending on the budget of the
municipality.
The Village of Concord’s Council consists of six
Council members and one Village President who each have one vote in the
political process. With seamless transition in mind one Council member is
designated President Pro Tem to serve as Village President if the current
Village President is unable to attend meetings, tend to urgent business matters,
or must be replaced for other reasons. Village of Concord Council members are
elected to four years terms, with a staggered system so three council member
positions are up for election every year in November’s Election. The Village
President position is a two year term.
The Village of Concord Council holds a public
meeting bi-monthly on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month with most meetings taking a little
over an hour to conduct. Two Council members are also expected to serve on each
Committee related to other Village business. Committees in which Council
members serve on include Parks & Recreation Committee, Planning Committee
and Fire Board. Other committees occasionally arise in which Council members
and the President must serve on such as Yearly Budget, Hiring Committee, Policy
and Procedures, etc. Committee meetings occur one evening a month and usually
take a little over an hour to occur.
Village Council members also must be prepared for
the topics to be discussed in their meetings. Council members receive packets
of information on the topics of the agenda which they must become familiar with
through reading and additional research they conduct on their own. A Village
Council member is constantly learning new information related to their position
in efforts to improve their abilities as a Council member. Based on Council
members backgrounds they also may take on additional responsibilities in efforts
to improve our Community. Current, examples of these additional
responsibilities being conducted by Council members include website
construction, financial accounting assistance, and grant writing to name a
few.
As documented many Council members spend additional
hours involved in research and additional roles and responsibilities associated
with the position. While some like to assume members of the Village of Concord
Council are getting rich for their participation they are mistaken. Village
Council members are paid $45 a meeting with the Village President making $120.83
a meeting. It is up to the discretion of the Village of Concord Council member
to do what they want with these earnings but many donate a portion to community
oriented projects and organizations.
To be a member of the Village of Concord
Council you must be a resident of the Village of Concord with no outstanding
balances with the Village. You do not have to be a member of a political party
to be a Village Council member. Your Village of Concord Council consists of
regular people like you who have families, live in homes located in the Village
and work jobs within this and surrounding communities. In the end Village of
Concord Council members are dedicated individuals interested in serving their
community and making our Village a better place to live, work, and play. We are
you.