Tomorrow (Today), August 18th, the Village Community Center will be a location for the Primary election. The monthly Tuesday Village Council meeting had to be canceled.

Was this primary election a surprise?  

We will now be having the regular monthly Council meeting combined with the Council Land Use meeting on Thursday August 20.

It is an extraordinarily lengthy agenda… 27 tabs, 999 pages!  And it was just made available to the public at 11:55 today - Monday - 3 days before the meeting, with no weekend in between for leisurely review.

We often don’t get an agenda for the Tuesday Council meetings until

the Friday before. That gives the public just 4 days to digest often lengthy (over 500

page) complex agendas over a weekend meant for fishing and relaxation by normal folks.

Does the average resident have that kind of time on weekends to assess

the often complex government matters that could impact them for years to come?

We think not. This is not conducive to public participation for the average resident.

If you are a speed reader with free time, this is for you.

I’m not a speed reader and don’t have much free time.  I am frustrated to think about how a 999-page agenda can be dealt with adequately.

Imagine just 72 hours to read and analyze 27 agenda items - assuming you don’t sleep much.

This type agenda sends a message to the public. “You do not run this Village and you aren’t important.”

If we were on the Village Council, we would insist that the monthly agenda should be available to Council and the public at least a full week before the meeting.

Where are our elected officials? Where is the Village manager? Informing the public is your job.

Additionally, supplemental information is often given to the council upon their arrival at meetings. This eliminates the opportunity for the council to read and analyze in advance and for the public to see the supplement.

Who does that serve?

A government that makes decisions without public involvement may move forward quickly, but perhaps not in the right direction.

Public participation in governance is a practical necessity for crafting policies that are effective, equitable, and sustainable. 

We get lip service and excuses.

Elections have consequences.

Vote for council members who vow to represent you.

Tom

*** Time permitting, we will send an email highlighting some of the issues in the Thursday agenda. Watch for it and attend the meeting****