Kudos to the Town of Christiansburg for being one of the local government's to get meeting agendas out in a timely fashion.
Yes, it is a new year but a quick look at Montgomery County's website and that of the School Board do not currently provide agendas for meetings scheduled Jan. 4-8.
This is noted because the School Board -- like the Town of Christiansburg's council -- holds regular meetings the first and third Tuesday of each month. As the town finally learned as regards Freedom of Information Act requirements, having a regular schedule is not the same as providing the agenda.
Having these two elected bodies meeting on the same nights and at the same time can present conflicts for citizens (or members of the free press, whose job is to objectively report on public concerns rather than serving as an official mouthpiece or propaganda arm of any government). This is especially troublesome when Christiansburg Town Council relies solely on the word of an applicant as regards potential impacts to school enrollment or transportation costs. This incremental demand on schools may go unnoticed unless your child is in a particular school, or until certain taxes or fees increase to cover debt service or operational costs.
You see, when the School Board meets, department heads are generally present and available to address any questions or provide information relative to items which may come up for discussion -- so even if they were aware of what is on the town's agenda, they have a scheduling conflict.
Both elected bodies are aware of this conflict, with the School Board holding organizational meetings in January and the town doing likewise in September. Both have repeatedly failed to blink with one or the other moving to the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (finding a different day of the week -- say a Thursday night -- isn't even the issue). Yet citizens have to go on faith that the relationship between these two governments is solid and aligned.
As Christiansburg's town elections shift to odd-numbered years in November (beginning in 2011), this same time/same night conflict will continue although it is expected both sets of elected officials will address annual organization housekeeping matters on the same nights.
This coming week, following a Joint Public Hearing in December, the town's Planning Commission is expected to make its recommendation Monday on three matters. These items should roll right over to Town Council for a vote on Tuesday. Council is also expected to vote on new fees and rules for Sunset Cemetery and is slated to go into a closed meeting to discuss a corporate park prospect and personnel matters "regarding appointment to the Planning Commission."
This rolls back to the nod and wink approach of handling appointments as if they were personnel matters (although hiring for a specific town, city or county job position is what equates to a personnel matter).
The show goes on folks, and it will become very entertaining as the May election season is already moving full speed. If you missed it last year, be sure to attend some public meetings in 2010. Failure to do so ensures less responsive and more expensive government, and reduced services.