Entry 603 of 1039
By Think! Christiansburg On August 28, 2009 at 1:51 PM
Several Christiansburg Town Council members are on record for wanting to keep their elections special and not cluttered up by "uninformed" voters.

When administrators do little to inform, educate and engage the public -- why would you expect other than "uninformed" voters?  Examples for how this plays out in Christiansburg can be measured by:

  • A lack of committees focused on the town's Comprehensive Plan goals;
  • Committees that do meet having a finite and exclusive revolving membership;
  • Committees established in name only which are long inactive;
  • A dormant web site which, even though revamped in January, lacks use and content;
  • The need to battle to have meeting agendas and Public Notices published in accordance with FOIA;
  • Council receiving relevant materials during meetings rather than in advance, without providing copies for members of the public.
An editorial in the Roanoke Times shows these types of concerns are not exclusive to Christiansburg.  A visit to the Virginia Coalition for Open Government website shows scores of similar issues. 

When government "operates [within] an extremely secretive process" it sets barriers to having informed citizens -- especially troublesome when relative to spending or committing public funds. 

Do Christiansburg Council members believe or "recognize it is unwise to blindly cede responsibility for spending large sums of money"? 

Do they "ordinarily approve issuing request for proposals (RFPs) and then leave it to a committee to sort through the offerings" and delegate authority directly to the town manager to sign contracts without any further oversight? 

Citizens should think about the points brought out in that editorial which may apply to Christiansburg.  Another bid is now out, modifying telephone services for the new aquatic center. 

This gives pause, too, because those bids aren't due until September 15.  Council has made it clear if this facility will not open in October, they want to know about it now.  Regular updates by either the aquatic director or advisory board and/or the building architecture or contractor were also promised on a monthly basis until this facility's grand opening -- yet haven't appeared on any agendas.

Review town council meeting agendas and minutes.  Look for council's vote to authorize issuing any bids.  Look for council's vote, in response to a staff recommendation, to authorize their appointed manager to execute related contracts.  Trace these votes back to the adopted budget.

If the record seems secretive or absent these actions, ask yourself whether this means you are an "uninformed" voter.  Ask yourself how confident you feel about whether your elected officials are any more informed than you.