Don't Cut Citizen Input At Meetings

The Issue: Limiting Citizen Input And Reducing The Number Of County Commission Meetings Each Month. Our Opinion: Bad Ideas.

Here's a bad idea for county government: Reduce from 30 to 15 minutes the time the public is allowed to speak during the citizens' comment segment of county commission meetings, which, by the way, are being reduced from three to two meetings each month.

Our first question: How much are commissioners' salaries going to be cut because of these reductions in public access and because commissioners aren't spending as much time doing the public's business?

Somewhere between a third to a half makes sense to us.

All in favor?

Here's a better idea: Don't ever bring up limiting the amount of time the public can speak at public meetings. It's just not a good idea.

We know some people go on an on, meeting after meeting and often have to be summarily dismissed because they're mostly just cranks. But this is America. Government exists for the people and by the people, not for the bureaucrats and by the politicians.

Putting up with the public is what they get paid for.

If commissioners and other county officials want to limit the public's access by reducing the number of meetings and limiting the amount of time constituents are allowed to speak, maybe they should consider a private-sector job.

Residents should be allowed to speak to their elected officials whether elected officials find it valuable or not. That's not the point and not our concern.

We like the three-minute rule. If John or Suzie Q. Public can't make his/her point in three minutes, they should be gaveled-down and shooed away like a pesky fly.

Most folks believe in open government - that government should be transparent in all its dealings. They don't feel comfortable rubbing elbows behind closed doors with politicians or donating to their political campaigns in an effort to curry favor. They think they should be able to make their points at public meetings and that elected officials should consider their worthiness whether they agree or not.

That's all.

Can't we at least give these folks 30 minutes before two measly meetings each month?

With commissioners and county staffers pontificating for hours on end, they ought to at least be willing to give constituents a few minutes.

Granted, the public is still allowed input during individual agenda items. That's only makes sense. But drastically cutting public input at fewer commission meetings muzzles residents' ability to bring up concerns and ideas that commissioners don't already have in front of them on that day's agenda.

We have to give credit to Commissioner Jeff Stabins for seeing this idea for what it's worth.

"I really don't know whose bright ideas that was, but I think we might have to take another look at it," Stabins told Hernando Today. "If I drive all the way into Brooksville and I'm the sixth person who raises my hand and I'm not called on to speak, I'm not going to be very happy."

That's putting it mildly.

If commission meetings are going to be limited to two each month instead of three, we say add another 15 minutes of public comment to the remaining two meetings. That would give the public 45 minutes to bend their elected officials' ears, and the public wouldn't be as short-changed by one less meeting each month.

Yes, we understand time is money and listening to people who often either don't understand or know what they're talking seems a great waste of time. But that's what government officials sign on for when the money they spend belongs to people who wouldn't necessarily give it to them if they had a choice.

Maybe the best idea is to simply leave everything the same. When commissioners make $70,585 a year including benefits doing a part-time job, they ought to be able listen to constituent concerns for an hour and a half each month.