Some of these boards are optional while others are mandatory. Members of boards and commissions are considered municipal officers and are appointed for specific terms. The composition, method of selecting members, duties and powers of statutory boards and commissions are set forth in the statutes authorizing or mandating the creation of such bodies. Municipalities may create other, non-statutory boards and commissions to address local concerns and issues. The size, composition, function and powers of such bodies are as set forth in the ordinances creating them.
Committees are different from boards and commissions.
Committees are sub-units of municipal governing bodies. Committees are created by the governing body and typically are comprised exclusively of governing body members. The state statutes contain no provisions relating to the appointment of committees by the common council or village board. Committees are solely creatures of the governing body and consequently have only as much authority as delegated to them by the governing body. Typically, committees merely recommend actions to the governing body.