Usually agendas of upcoming Regular Council Meetings and Committees of the Whole (COW) are posted on the City's website on Friday afternoon prior to the following Monday's meetings. This so that anyone interested can check what's on and - for a public-input COW - possibly prepare thoughts to directly present within the once-a-month 15 minutes allowed to we-the-people. Or just go for the hell of it.
According to the Meeting Calendar there is to be a COW, 21 December. But by Fri. evening no agenda has been posted. This could be just an internal mis-whatever: seeing that the date has not been changed on the calendar; there is no announcement of the COW having been cancelled under Public Notices on the City's home-page; Sat. morning there is no notice on the City Hall bulletin-board in the lobby, where usually a hard-copy agenda is posted when.
Later a Councillor informs me in a reply that the mayor and several Councillors have gone away: there is to be no COW.
Later still I find out from the Star that they have received an email about the cancellation and a notice has been posted to that effect on the City's Facebook Page.
But for we-the-people - nothing! Unless we're on Facebook. But many aren't - choose not to be. Possibly for stronger reasons than those of habitual signer-uppers: the majority of subscribers.
The Book of Face
I recently address subscribing-or-not to the gospel according to Facebook and some limitations of that belief-system in
Wi/WiNotFi
9 Dec, 2015
City Staff's ...simple informal 2 question survey on the City's Facebook Page - regarding whether-or-not to Shaw GoWiFi in the parks - predictably results in the majority of acolytes cheering yes-yes-yes! With Staff - literally using the sanctity of The Book of Face - to disregard possible opinions of nonbeliebers. While results certainly are skewed - they're righteously proof enough to base a pro-WiFi decision on.
Good enough for all - because The Book says so! Or that used as a pretext.
Nellie Konkin - in a Star LETTER: Facebook poll unreliable indicator - expresses similar thoughts. But - wouldn't you know it! - while the Star still publishes occasional select letters: commenting directly on news-items there is only possible for - Facebookers.
The comfort of living by the book!
But you still (as in thus far) have a choice:
You don't need to go to church to be a Christian. If you go to Taco Bell that doesn't make you a taco.
Justin Bieber
masaaki nakayama
anticreep
weuxanurg.deviantart.com
renemagritte.org
Similar thing happened to me, I was expecting to be able to speak at a COW meeting, always held at 7pm, I was expecting the same, but that meeting had been moved forward to 5pm unbeknownst to myself, missed a chance to speak.
ReplyDeleteIsn't there some way of reporting malfeasance by a council to an outside governing body? Isn't there something that looks after the councils such as the Union of Municipalities (or whatever it's called?) I remember a few years ago, they said they were going to have a meeting for keeping bees but they didn't, and instead put a note on the door saying it was cancelled. I believe this is contempt for citizenry and is a serious offence. It is OK to do this every now and then, but it should be remediated with a postponed date, and any speaker who is slated to show up and doesn't have a chance should be notified in full with good notice and reason, and if applicable have their travel expenses reimbursed.
DeleteI really have to wonder how many hours (on average) council members put into their jobs. Did we not use to have 2 COW meetings per/month? As a loyal taxpayer, I am insulted that I only have five min's per month to present important issues to council.
I really try to put myself in their shoes and try to empathize with their situation, and I see current council as quite a bit better than previous, but I find the lack of discourse with the public to be not only insulting but scandalous.