Once a year, government bodies begin their formal "business" year with an organizational meeting. Chair, vice-chair and committee assignments may be made, authorities granted, and regular meeting dates, times and locations are established.
These organizational meetings vary with each local government body, as determined by its Town Charter or per State Code.
For Christiansburg Town Council, it happens at the first meeting each September.
For the Montgomery County School Board (MCPS) -- and the county Board of Supervisors -- it happens at the first meeting
each January.
Pretty much a routine agenda item, but one which routinely has created a conflict for local citizens. Both the Christiansburg Town Council and Montgomery County School Board meetings are scheduled for the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7:30 pm.
This could be easily corrected by one government body shifting regular meeting dates to the second and fourth Tuesday of each month, thereby removing the conflict. Or shifting to any Thursday evening (Monday being the regular meeting day for the Board of Supervisors, and Wednesday a day of worship for many).
Making such a change would enable citizens to attend both or either, participating in local government, without having to make a choice between the two.
To be sure, these elected or appointed public servants are aware of the conflict -- and simply don't care.
"We've always had our meetings this way, let 'them' change their day," is an accurate reflection of the attitudes held, when the conflict has been pointed out.
So you can be an involved parent, but not an engaged town citizen?
Or you can be an engaged town citizen, but not an involved parent?
Or, you can just throw your hands up in despair and stay home?
The fact that the town doesn't fund public education is not a justification for having such a conflict, either.
Besides, both Blacksburg and Christiansburg see some financial benefit from having K-12 students residing in households within their town boundaries -- that's how the state sales tax allocation is determined (and may be why towns encourage residential development).
Public meetings are, for the most part, scheduled for evening hours in order to maximize the ability of citizens to attend.
There is no valid reason for government bodies, within the same locality, to deliberately continue to schedule regular meetings for the same day and time.
Now is the time to request the Montgomery County School Board shift its regular meetings to the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. Their organizational meeting will be held on
Tuesday, January 8th at 7:30 pm in the Junkin Street Administrative Offices (because the first Tuesday of the month was a holiday). See
http://www.mcps.org/admin/schboard/schboard.html for contact information.
And, if they don't (again) -- come to the first meeting in July and ask town council (again) to shift their regular meeting dates.
Open government begins with being able to attend public meetings. A good start for Christiansburg residents would be having this simple conflict removed.