Boards

A board is a formal committee with structure, duties, and powers established by ordinance.  It usually performs a quasi-judicial or adjudicative function such as licensing or regulation. For example, the Board of Appeals is an adjudicative committee that hears and decides appeals to the zoning ordinance and renders a binding decision on each case.

Commissions

Commissions are formal, standing Committees with structure, duties, and powers established by ordinance. A commission often has an administrative or functional responsibility, such as performing a review of economic development or preparing a land use plan. The Housing Commission, for example, may study the community’s supply of low to moderate income housing and administer a program to supplement the housing supply.

Committees

A committee is advisory in nature and can be either a formal (standing) committee established by ordinance or resolution, or an informal (ad hoc) committee created by the mayor and council. The committee may oversee and advise in service areas, such as housing or transportation, or it may advise the mayor and council on issues and recommend policy. A Downtown Development Committee, for instance, would advise the mayor and council on commercial development in the downtown area. An ad hoc committee is sometimes called a task force to emphasize its temporary nature. A municipality may create a Recycling Committee, for instance, to advise the town on how to increase City's use of their recycling program.