Remember civics class? The course that teaches students about the rights, duties and responsibilities of citizenship, as well as how government and political systems work. I often wonder if that’s still being taught.

These days we watch federal proceedings like a modern-day gladiator show. Throw the dissenters to the lions. Take no prisoners. The only opinions that matter are mine. People waste valuable time defending uninformed opinions. Educate yourself. It seems like an idea worth considering even though many have come to think of education as an elitist concept.

This column is called Narrowsburg News. So, let’s bring the discussion closer to home and look at the structure of local government. In the Town of Tusten, NY, we have three major boards and a slew of committees involving elected officials and town volunteers.

The town board is the town’s elected governing body, consisting of the town supervisor and four council members. The deputy supervisor is an appointed position that does not have voting powers in that capacity.

The town board establishes local policy, adopts and amends local laws—including zoning regulations—and manages town finances and public assets. It adopts the annual budget, sets spending priorities, authorizes contracts, and provides for the maintenance and improvement of town-owned property. It also makes appointments to local boards, fills certain vacancies as authorized by law and can form committees. Put simply, the town board establishes the rules and decides how town resources will be used.

The planning board is an appointed group that reviews subdivisions, site plans and special use permit applications. Its job is to determine whether proposals meet Tusten’s zoning and subdivision requirements while protecting the community’s health, safety and welfare. For example, dividing a property into separate lots may require subdivision approval. A proposed business or development may require review of its site layout or a special use permit under the zoning law.

The planning board reviews environmental impacts, holds required public hearings, and can approve an application, approve it with conditions, or deny it based on the applicable standards. Put simply, the planning board applies the town’s development rules to specific proposals.

The zoning board of appeals, or ZBA, is an appointed board that hears appeals of zoning decisions, interprets zoning requirements, and considers requests for variances—exceptions to those requirements. If someone disputes a zoning determination by the code enforcement officer, the ZBA can review that decision and uphold, reverse or modify it. It also resolves questions about the meaning of the zoning law, including uncertainty about zoning district boundaries.

There are two main kinds of variances. An area variance allows an exception to a dimensional requirement, such as a building setback, lot size or building height. The ZBA weighs the benefit to the applicant against potential harm to the neighborhood or community. A use variance allows a use otherwise prohibited in that zoning district. Applicants must meet the stricter legal standard of “unnecessary hardship.”

The ZBA may attach reasonable conditions to approved variances to minimize adverse effects. Put simply, the ZBA resolves zoning disputes and determines whether a particular exception to the zoning rules is legally justified.

Keep these distinctions in mind and you’re sure to get an A in Tusten civics.

If civics is still being taught.