By Kay Wilson
There are just a few points I need to draw to your attention from my recent escapades, otherwise known as newspapering.
Elected leaders need to follow the rules. There is a standard of how you operate a meeting. It’s called Robert’s Rules of Order. An agenda that truly speaks to the topics to be covered at the meeting is in regular form. Minutes of the past meeting should be distributed. A treasurer’s report would be another great tool for any board or council to work from. Citizens who come to address the group should be granted time and space. The agenda should have an area for old business and new business for the group of leaders to address. A final item that I would suggest to be on all agendas is a place for reports for all of the officials to share with the board in regular form.
Remember the money you spend is not your own. While I know it takes a heart of service to place a decision-making role on a board or council, and I have also witnessed the passion of service to a new level recently, it is wise to remember the money that is spent from the council or board is not their money. The mindset of those elected officials has to be on a different wavelength than when they set their household budget. They can not pick and choose on who to spend those dollars, many times tax dollars, by deciding who they like best. They must bid and the lowest bid is not always the best bid. Sometimes this is tough, but necessary.
Citizenship, just like democracy, is messy. As a bystander, I have seen the gamut of democracy in action. A great money maker could be to sell seats with a bag of popcorn just for sheer fun.
Facebook Comments