The idea of consolidating several of the town commissions has been floating around Town Hall since last year. During a Town Council retreat, some of the council members seemed to be hesitant, citing concerns of citizen involvement.

While this is always a valid issue – it’s good practice to see citizens getting together and helping with the local governmental process – it’s also true that certain needs and demands change over time.

Soon after the Town of Fountain Hills became incorporated in late 1989, there were probably 20 to 30 citizens committee formed on every municipal topic imaginable. The idea being that since a majority of voters had approved incorporation at the time, it was a good idea to keep them informed, involved and vested in the brand new government.

A handful of those committees eventually morphed into council-endorsed commissions, and the other advisory committees went by the wayside. Through the decades, however, the number of commissions has grown. Now that it’s 2014, however, some of those commissions have little to do and have a difficult time keeping full rosters. With reductions in town staff over the years, it’s also more difficult for existing employee to devote administrative time to all these smaller commissions.

The Parks and Recreation Commission recently endorsed the idea of consolidating some of the panels, and we have to agree with that recommendation. There are numerous ways to keep citizens involved with local government – and they don’t have to be aligned with serving on a commission.

The Town Council won’t be doing a disservice by following the commission’s consolidation recommendation.