The Town of Christiansburg has back to back meetings scheduled for the upcoming week:
Monday, June 1 @ 3 pm, council's Finance Committee will meet in the Town Manager's Office to discuss applicants for the Finance Director/Treasurer position. The location and topic suggest a closed meeting; however, this was not stated in the public notice. This may be a brief meeting, as the Town Manager, Mayor and Council member Ann Carter may also be needed to ensure a quorum at the next public meeting;
Monday, June 1 @ 4 pm, the Planning Commission will meet at Town Hall. While no minutes are available via the town's "updated" website, agendas are. This meeting is to include discussion on council's intention to rezone 1225 Stafford Drive (allowing parents to subdivide a 2.749 acre parcel so one of their grown children can build a home adjacent to them), rezone 21.61 acres at the end of Sage Lane, and rezone a parcel identified as 2880 Roanoke Street for business. The last two items were previously addressed by council but have appeared again in less than one year.
Monday, June 1 @ 6 pm, the Parks & Rec Advisory Commission will meet at the Rec Center. Agendas and minutes for these meetings are not provided.
Tuesday, June 2 @ 7:30 pm, Town Council will meet in Town Hall and is expected to hear and take action on rezonings from the Planning Commission's agenda items. The CHS Photography Club will be recognized (although council provides absolutely no financial support for public education), and hear updates on Community Development Block Grants and the Huckleberry Trail extension (which has now received some federal funding). Council will discuss the Tourism Contract, presumably relative to the regional partnership it entered into in 2007 with the local chamber, as did Montgomery County and the Town of Blacksburg. Previously, council had asked for administration's plan for tourism and was informed none existed. An APCO service contract will also be discussed, bills approved for payment, and a mis-named progress report is provided.
Wednesday, June 3 @ 4 pm, the Aquatic Advisory Board will meet at Town Hall. Again, no agendas or minutes are provided to the public for this relatively new entity. At the May meeting, this board was expected to decide on a meeting schedule and elect officers (which are not yet publicized). It should be noted while the Town Charter expressly limits individuals being appointed to only one public body at a time, Planning Commission Chairman Steve Simmons also sits on this board.
Citizens and reporters -- and even elected, appointed or town personnel -- may have to choose which meetings they'll attend. Christiansburg parents who are interested in the hiring process for a new school superintendent will have to consider yet another option, as a public hearing and discussion for that will be occurring concurrently at CHS.
Does this schedule for meetings (some without agendas or minutes from earlier meetings) look like effective, inclusive or welcoming open government which follows the "letter and intent of FOIA" to you?