ITHACA, N.Y. — The Town of Ithaca has several board vacancies, including for the planning board, zoning board of appeals, ethics board and conservation board.

Below is a description of the positions provided by the Town of Ithaca.

The Planning Board consists of seven regular members with two alternates. The Planning Board is charged with reviewing land use and development issues and approving subdivisions, site plans and special permit requests. Planning Board meetings are generally held at 7 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday of the month.

Zoning Board of Appeals consists of five regular and two alternate members who are appointed by the Town Board. The Zoning Board is a quasi-judicial board that is charged with ensuring that the zoning ordinances are complied with or that variances and/or special approvals are granted when certain criteria are met. Zoning Board meetings are generally held at 6 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month.

Some knowledge of the application of municipal law or other rules and regulations is helpful but not required. Both Boards have a residency requirement for members to live in the Town of Ithaca and both Boards’ members receive a small stipend. Members are appointed by the Town Board with Regular member appointments having seven and five-year terms respectively and Alternate membership appointments having a one-year term; a great way to try it out and see if regular membership is something you could commit to.

The Ethics Board consists of five members with a residency requirement of living in Tompkins County. There are some limits to the number of members from each political party, but we have a vacancy now and the new member could be any party. The Ethics Board meets once a year to review Ethics Disclosure forms submitted by Town Officials and upon demand, if an inquiry is brought to them by the public or staff. Meetings generally occur at lunchtime and last no more than 45 minutes to an hour.

Conservation Board: How do you share your passion for the environment? What do you do to make our community a better place to live? The Town of Ithaca Conservation Board engages both the Town Board and the Planning Board to make sure our community’s environmental concerns are heard. If you are interested in land conservation, proposed development projects, water and energy consumption or invasive species control, come to one of our meetings, held on the first Thursday of each month from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Ithaca Town Hall. If you enjoy the meeting, please apply for membership to the Town Conservation Board. Applicants must be Town residents and be interested in playing an active role in the Town’s planning and advisory process, as it relates to environmental concerns. Specialized knowledge is helpful, but not required.

For more information about the Conservation Board and their current activities, please visit the Board’s website at www.town.ithaca.ny.us/conservation-board, find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/IthacaConservationBoard, or join them for any upcoming meeting (all meetings are open to the public).

For an application, contact Town Clerk Paulette Rosa at 607-273-1721 or prosa@town.ithaca.ny.us, or visit the website at www.town.ithaca.ny.us.