VINCE REMBULAT

The Bulletin

A few years ago, Friends of the Senior Center was formed as an experiment to the City of Ripon.

This voluntary group not only assumed the responsibilities of matters concerning the Ripon Senior Center – prior to that, those chores belonged to Senior Commission – but went on to sign an agreement with the City.

“It’s been working out just fine,” said Mayor Leo Zuber at a Ripon City Council meeting earlier this month.

As a result, the Senior Commission was eliminated.

Elected leaders discovered that these commissions, as in this case, are subject to City rules and regulations that are enforced by state laws. “This doesn’t allow for them to do their job,” Zuber said.

Council members, for that same reason, voted 5-0 to eliminate the Community & Youth Commission and the Historical Museum Commission, amending the chapter on “Commissions.”

Added Zuber: “This ordinance will clean the ‘Commissions’ up.”

The Community & Youth Commission has “served as a resource for the coordination of existing and planned private resources,” according to city website.

The Historical Museum Commission organizes, manages, directs and supervises facilities and programs for or in connection with the Ripon Historical Museum.

Yet the Historical Society, which does the same thing as the Historical Museum Commission, recently signed an agreement with the museum and, Zuber said, “will continue on just without the government regulations.”

Vice Mayor Jake Parks, in addition, encouraged folks to get involved with these special interest groups as way of helping the community and meeting their fellow residents.