From now through Dec. 15, citizens of Hope Mills who would like to be more involved in the goings on in their town are invited to apply for membership on any of several official town committees.

Anyone interested in applying for committee membership who has never served must fill out an application that can be picked up from the clerk’s office at Town Hall on Rockfish Road. Anyone who has applied in the last 12 months does not have to submit a new form.

Members who are currently serving on a committee and wish to continue do need to contact the town and make it known they’d like to serve again.

In addition to getting applications at Town Hall, they are also available on the town website, www.townofhopemills.com. Any questions should be directed to town clerk Jane Starling at 910-426-4113 or by email at jstarling@townofhopemills.com.

The town reloads its committees every two years in line with the town election cycle.

Once all the names of candidates have been received next month, a nominating committee will go over them and make assignments to the various committees. A full list of all the committees can be found at the town website as well, along with current members of the committees.

Hope Mills mayor Jackie Warner said the committees are like advisory boards for the town.

“When special interests or special projects are brought to the town, they go to whichever committee they would apply to,’’ she said.

Each committee also has a member of the town’s Board of Commissioners that serves as a liaison between the committee and the board.

“That member reports back to the board what took place in the meeting,’’ Warner said. “Sometimes they make recommendations for things they’d like to see and for concerns they’ve heard.’’

One body that’s a little different from the others is the town’s Historical Commission.

Town commissions can have a budget and spend money. They can also make decisions that don’t require approval of the full Board of Commissioners.

There are also certain criteria for members of a commission that require the members have specific expertise in the field the commission works, not just a personal interest.

If more people ask to be on a committee than spots are available, the nominating committee uses a ranking system based on which people submitted their request to be on a committee first, so it’s important to apply as soon as possible before the Dec. 15 deadline.

Warner said there have been discussions of limiting the amount of time someone can serve on a committee or rotating people between various committees. Neither idea has been approved.

Warner said it’s feared that any limits placed on serving could cut the number of people interested in volunteering.

“We get what we hope is a good representation of the community, so we are getting their opinions,’’ Warner said. “It keeps us informed and gives us the opportunity to have input on the decisions we make.’’