Years before Dan Green was voted into a Kootenai County Commissioner seat, he had his voluntary ear to the ground.

In 2003, Green was on the planing and zoning advisory board, a position where he donated his time and helped give input to the board of commissioners.

Thirteen years later, Green, who is near the end of a two-year term, is encouraging citizens to step up and volunteer on one of the county's myriad advisory boards. The fall application deadline is Friday, Oct. 28 and will open again Jan. 1.

"Personally, I look for their input and outreach," said Green, who isn't seeking re-election for the District 3 seat. "They keep the board informed in generating possible policy issues and all sorts of stuff. I like it when we have a lot of applications and am disappointed when we don't. Hopefully more raise their hands."

The BOCC is looking for volunteers, who, by considering projects, ideas, and issues, offer the public greater influence on local decisions by providing recommendations to the appropriate decision makers.

Currently, the county is accepting applications for nine different advisory boards, including the Airport Board, Aquifer Protection Board, North Idaho Fair Board, Historic Preservation Commission, Waterways Board, Natural Resource Board, Noxious Weed Control Board, Planning Commission and Snowmobile Advisory Board.

"They're kind of the eyes and ears on the ground for the commissioners," said BOCC administrative supervisor Nancy Jones.

The BOCC appoints each member. Selected members will be appointed in December to three-year terms, which will begin in January. Noxious Weed Board members serve a two-year term and Fair Board members serve a four-year term.

Applicants may be asked to interview with the BOCC, which keeps every application on file for one year, according to Jones.

Applications can be found at http://www.kcgov.us/departments/boardcommish/advisory.asp.