Norfolk City Council has approved a legislative agenda package for the upcoming session. The package can be viewed on the the Intergovermental Relations page of the city’s website.
I had a little free time last week and took a look at the video from the council sessions where this was discussed. The council received a presentation on November 6 – yes, Election Day – about the agenda. They then agreed to hold a public hearing on the matter one week later, on November 13. Just four speakers showed up, which isn’t a surprise.
Included in the package is a request for a charter change, to move the election of the mayor from those with the five small wards to those with the two surperwards. Given that this came out of the retreat in September, how come the public hearing on it was held with just one week’s notice?
Pro tip: a little transparency goes a long way.
It is sad but seems to be a new trend for localities in our area to discuss what they want from the General Assemblies at retreats which most people don’t have access to , can not attend and are not televised. Then the councils seem to hold off till right before the date they need to turn over their legislative packets which allows them to get little if any input from the public. The General Assembly meets at the same time each year. The cities should be able to figure out what they want and allow adequate time to collect input from the citizens. Unless of course the overall goal is not to get citizen input.
Posted by Carole Garrison | Tuesday, December 4, 2012, 11:29 am