FeedsWhy the trouble with agendas?
I sometimes wonder at the apparent disconnect between members of the Wayne 20/20 Committee and the Wayne City Council.
The first is supposed to be a think tank kind of organization for the latter, yet the majority of their ideas end up falling by the wayside. They’ve managed to have the mural implemented—despite some council resistance—and a few other things, too, but it hasn’t been an easy go.
This latest recommendation and the treatment it received is even more of a mystery.
The 20/20 Committee wanted something relatively simple: they wanted city council meeting agendas posted on the new city web site as soon as they were formalized.
Rather than acknowledge that it was a good idea and pass it along, the council members referred it to the administration to see how much it would cost and what it would take to implement it.
Is this bureaucracy in action, or what?
This is by no means a radical suggestion. It is actually keeping with modern times and open government. You can hit virtually any municipal web site and find a current agenda, approved minutes and so on. In Canton Township, you can find agendas for the board of trustees meetings as well as the planning commission. In the City of Northville, you can find agendas for anything from the arts commission to the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and, of course the city council. You can find not only the agenda, but links to the background information, as well.
Let’s not forget that Wayne pays someone on a monthly basis to….keep the website fresh. What will it cost? Nothing. Why not just do it?
I’ve heard from a few residents since the issue came up and was brushed aside at the last meeting. They’ve complained about how they asked for agendas to be faxed to them and were refused.
They’ve requested packets and been told they need to submit a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
This is silly. For one thing, the city doesn’t have to respond to such a request until well after the meeting takes place and secondly, they can charge for the service.
There’s no reason not to make government more accessible to the residents. They shouldn’t have to deal with outdated practices just to find out what’s going on with their government; they should have to take time off work to go and pick up an agenda or visit city hall on meeting nights to find if there’s anything to stay and provide input on.
This is not a radical request; it’s a simple suggestion and a good one.
It should be treated that way.
