When the Vicksburg Board of Zoning Appeals failed last week to have a quorum for a hearing on a high-profile special exception, its lack of action pointed to a two-year-old problem with keeping the board full.

The board, appointed by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and required by city ordinance to have seven members, has not had more than five members in nearly three years.

Politics, city officials say, is one reason why finding people willing to serve is a challenge.

“We have some high-profile issues,” board chairman Tommie Rawlings said. “This is the type of board where you can anger some people. I’ve had people come up to me and say, ‘You guys are tough. You’re taking care of business. I don’t know if I can do that.’”

North Alderman Michael Mayfield said he approached someone about a zoning board spot “and they told me they didn’t want any part of it. They didn’t want the politics.”

The zoning board was established by city ordinance to review and decide issues involving rezoning, construction variances and special exceptions to ensure compatibility with the city’s comprehensive plan. The seven are volunteers and serve without pay.

Their decisions can make or break a business or development or affect the life of one or hundreds of residents.

To hear and act on zoning issues, at least four board members must attend meetings, and four votes are required to approve a zoning change. When the board had seven people, members said, four to six regularly attended.

With only five members, the board has failed to have a quorum six times in the past two years, according to city planning department records. Some zoning requests have been denied because a four-member board failed to reach a unanimous vote. In turn, some of those cases have been heard on appeal by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen.

Last week, the board failed to assemble four members to hear Mountain of Faith Ministries’ request for a special exception to operate a transitional housing facility near the former ParkView Regional Medical Center. The request had generated widespread concern among residents in the Wildwood community, just north of the hospital.

Tina Hayward, executive director of Mountain of Faith Ministries, had requested that the hearing on her proposal be moved from December to Jan. 10 as she sought more time to present her case.

Rawlings said numerous requests have been made to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen to fill the vacant slots. “I wonder if they’re actively pursuing people,” he said.

Mayor Paul Winfield, Mayfield and South Alderman Sid Beauman said the board has been trying to find people interested in serving on the zoning board.

“It’s hard to find new blood for these boards,” Mayfield said. “The people who are serving now have been on for a long time. They keep getting reappointed until they get tired of it and just roll off.”

“Part of the problem is getting people willing to do it,” Winfield said. “We need people who are dedicated to attending the meetings and doing the research and filling those roles.”

“The zoning board is tough because it requires a lot of time,” Beauman said. “People have to go out and do research. I hope politics is not a reason for not serving.”

“It’s very time-consuming,” said Fred Katzenmeyer, an 11-year member of the zoning board. “You have to go out and look at the property, make a decision and attend the meetings, and it’s tough to get somebody to work for nothing.”

“We need people who are going to make their ruling based on the law and the rules, and that can upset some people, especially in a community our size,” Winfield said.

Mayfield said politics is a problem with all of the city’s appointed boards.

“There was a time — four to six years ago — when politics wasn’t that prevalent,” he said. “You did your homework, you went in, you voted, and you got out. Now these boards get swirled in politics. People see it on TV, and they don’t want any part of it.

“You have someone who goes on a board with good intentions to help make his community better, and he has to put up with abuse,” Mayfield said. “People come and yell and holler and threaten these board members. These are volunteers. It’s not supposed to be that way.”