Community-Minded Individuals Wanted- Plainfield Township

Zoning Hearing Board
Updated 5/25/2023

Community-Minded Individuals Wanted- Plainfield Township

The Plainfield Township Board of Supervisors is seeking applications from Township residents who wish to serve on the following positions of the Township starting as soon as possible:  

• • Zoning Hearing Board Member (Term Expiring January 1, 2027)
  • Zoning Hearing Board Member (Term Expiring January 1, 2025)

  Interested residents of the Township must complete the Plainfield Township Boards and Commissions Application (available at www.plainfieldtownship.org under ‘Board & Employment Opportunities’) and at the Plainfield Township Municipal Office, 6292 Sullivan Trail, Nazareth, PA 18064, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM) and submit it to the Plainfield Township via mail, email: manager@plainfieldtownship.org or drop the application off at Township front deck. The Board of Supervisors (or a designated committee of the Board) may schedule interviews with applicants. These interviews will be open to the public.

REQUIREMENTS: All positions require proof of Plainfield Township residency. All positions generally require the ability to read and interpret the Code of Ordinances of the Township of Plainfield, PA and the Second Class Township Code, as amended. Applicants interested in the Zoning Hearing Board must also be able to read and interpret the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code and the Plainfield Township Zoning Ordinance, as amended.

If there are any questions about the above positions, please contact Selma Ritter, Township Treasurer, at (610) 759-6944 ext 101.

Citizen Advisory Board Appointment Policy

(Adopted by the Board of Supervisors during the October 9, 2019 regular Board of Supervisors meeting via Resolution #2019-24)

The following Citizen Advisory Board Appointment Policy is hereby established to ensure that the Plainfield Township Board of Supervisors consider the following tenets when taking action to appoint and/or reappoint individuals to serve on the various organized and active Boards, Commissions and Councils of Plainfield Township (hereafter collectively referred to as the “citizen advisory bodies”):

The following Citizen Advisory Board Appointment Policy is hereby established to ensure that the Plainfield Township Board of Supervisors consider the following tenets when taking action to appoint and/or reappoint individuals to serve on the various organized and active Boards, Commissions and Councils of Plainfield Township (hereafter collectively referred to as the “citizen advisory bodies”):

1. To promote the ideals of honor and integrity in all public actions taken by citizen advisory bodies in order to facilitate a high level of public trust in local government.

2. To utilize the vast wealth of talent and experience exhibited by Plainfield Township residents when considering appointees to citizen advisory bodies.

3. To provide efficient and effective municipal services that are responsive to the expectations of Plainfield Township residents.

4. To establish procedures for making application to citizen advisory bodies that are uniform, consistently applied, and widely disseminated to the public at large.
At the time of the adoption of this policy, the following citizen advisory bodies are currently organized and active within the Township:

1. Plainfield Township Planning Commission
2. Environmental Advisory Council
3. Non-Uniform Pension Advisory Committee
4. Recreation Board
5. Zoning Hearing Board
6. Vacancy Board
1. General Limitations on Appointments/Reappointments
a. All appointees to any citizen advisory bodies shall be residents of Plainfield Township.

b. Appointments are limited to the duration of the term(s) approved by the Board of Supervisors. Reappointments to term vacancies are not guaranteed to any individual members of citizen advisory bodies. For purposes of this policy, all expiring terms of appointed individual members of citizen advisory bodies shall be considered to become vacant at the conclusion of the term, unless otherwise approved by the Board of Supervisors, in their sole discretion.

c. Appointments to fill vacancies on citizen advisory bodies shall be only for the unexpired portion of the term(s).

d. No full-time Plainfield Township employee may be appointed to serve as a voting member of any citizen advisory bodies.

e. All appointments to citizen advisory bodies shall be in accordance with the applicable law(s) of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the applicable ordinance(s) of Plainfield Township.

2. Appointment/Reappointment Procedures

a. Step 1: The Township Manager/Secretary shall contact all appointed individual members of citizen advisory bodies whose terms are expiring at the end of the calendar year at least ninety (90) days prior to their term expiration in order to ascertain if the members desire reappointment to additional terms.

b. Step 2: No later than sixty (60) days prior to the end of the calendar year, the Township Manager/Secretary shall provide a report to the Board of Supervisors that lists the expiring terms of all individual members of citizen advisory bodies whose terms are expiring. Said report shall also include a statement as to whether or not the individual members of the citizen advisory bodies desire reappointment to additional terms.

c. Step 3: Following the Board of Supervisors review of the list identified in Step 2/Section 2 (b) above, the Township Manager/Secretary shall advertise the availability of all vacant positions for all applicable citizen advisory bodies. Said advertisement will establish a deadline for submitting applications for consideration to appointments to the vacant positions on citizen advisory bodies. Applicants must submit application forms approved for use by the Plainfield Township Municipal Office in order to be formally considered for appointment to the vacant positions. In order to widely disseminate the availability of the vacant positions, the Township Manager/Secretary shall utilize local newspapers, social media (when available), and the Plainfield Township website. Failure to submit an application by the specified deadline or to utilize forms approved for use by the Township shall constitute a defective submission.

d. Step 4: Following the receipt of applications identified in Step 3/Section 2 (c) above, the Township Manager/Secretary shall provide the Board of Supervisors with all submitted applications for all applicable citizen advisory bodies.

e. Step 5: Interviews shall be scheduled with the top ranked candidates, as determined by the Board of Supervisors. The candidates shall interview with the Board of Supervisors or a designated committee of the Board of Supervisors at a public meeting of the Board of Supervisors.

3. Incumbent Reappointments
a. Certain citizen advisory bodies require specific technical expertise, depth of experience, esoteric community knowledge, training, and continuity of service in order to properly function and efficiently and effectively serve the needs of the community. This expertise and experience is difficult to find among those willing to volunteer their time and talents to Plainfield Township and is normally gained only by years of public service and relevant training, which is typically paid for by the funds of Plainfield Township. Such citizen advisory bodies include, but are not necessarily limited to, the Zoning Hearing Board and the Planning Commission.

When making appointments to these or any other citizen advisory bodies, the Board of Supervisors, in their sole discretion, may elect to retain incumbent appointees who are actively serving on citizen advisory bodies in the best interests of Plainfield Township
b. To further assist the Board in making its determination for reappointment of incumbent appointees, recommendations should be sought from the current chairpersons and secretaries of the relevant citizen advisory bodies and the Township Manager/Secretary, based on his/her discussions with staff.

c. Incumbent appointees seeking reappointment to any applicable citizen advisory bodies shall not be required to submit applications for consideration of reappointment or to conduct interviews with the Board of Supervisors. However, incumbent appointees may submit any supportive materials they deem pertinent to their request for reappointment and request an interview with the Board of Supervisors.

5. Determination of Appointments/Reappointments

Following all interviews at outlined in Step 4/Section 2 (d) above, the Board of Supervisors (or designated committee of the Board) will discuss the pending appointments in Executive (closed) Session and, when appropriate, will instruct the Township Manager/Secretary to schedule formal action on a recommended appointment for placement on the next occurring reorganization meeting agenda of the Board of Supervisors.

6. Recognition of Service

It shall be the policy of the Board to formally recognize the service of all outgoing Board or Commission members for their commitment and service to the Plainfield Township community.