The Christiansburg Planning Commission (PC) is an appointed body determined by Town Council. Their job is to look at land use issues, ensuring compliance with related State Code and local Zoning ordinances. At their last meeting on Dec. 15th, the agenda included one such item. From there, the conversation strayed to other topics (including fire lanes at the local mall) and digressed to what a long-term PC member and former appointee to town council had on his mind.
Not related to items focused on the purpose of the Planning Commission, it sounds instead as if dialog shifted to opposing council preferences and "disgust" for open government, FOIA requirements or citizen involvement. PC meetings are open to the public and one citizen has provided audio recordings of them over the past year. You can open two internet browser windows, listening to the tape in one and reading a transcript in this one (a helpful tool for those unfamiliar with appointees or voices):
Present: Chairperson Steven C. Simmons; Vice-Chairperson Craig Moore; Secretary (non-voting) R. Lance Terpenny (Town Manager); Wayne E. Booth; Michael Byrd; Dan R. Canada; Ann H. Carter; Steve Huppert. Not Present: Planning Director Randy S. Wingfield; Town Attorney Guynn, Memmer, & Dillon, P.C. Also Present: Jim VanHoozier, Town Council Member; Nichole Hair, Planning Department. Transcription of audio tape recording begins thirty four minutes into meeting.
Dan Canada: The other thing that I have, uh, Mr. Chairman, is … I, I don’t fully … I think I understand the process that they’re using with council in these meetings, but I noticed the last meeting, the last council meeting that I attended, there was confusion among council, among citizens and as to whether or not we should have been here. And what items were on the agenda, and if it was an item that was gonna be voted on, uh that night, and I’ve also become a little …. um, uh, concerned about items, uh, in order to keep them straight in my head when we, we work on them one week and then the next week we’re studying them and then the following week they’re on the agenda. I personally would like to recommend to council or this group or whatever, that it, it would, uh. I liked it the way it was … and I don’t know if any of the rest of you did nor not, or if you like it the way it is and I’m the only one with, sees a problem with it, I’ll, I’ll comply with the wishes of the group but if anybody else is having the same issue that I’m having, I’m comfortable to speak up and talk about it today. I don’t like this at all.
Steve Huppert: So you’re saying –
Michael Byrd: I’d like to have this item as a vote.
Steve Huppert: You’re --
Dan Canada: I’d like to see it go back the way it was and I’d like to, I’d like to hear from my … fellow commissioners.
Steve Huppert: And you’re saying, like before we were talking about it today, the council would act on it tomorrow?
Dan Canada: That’s right. The people can …
Steve Huppert: Now wait a minute, the point here is they’re saying council is not having enough time to, to digest this? Is that, is that why, that it was changed?
Steve Simmons: Well, I don’t think that was the …
Ann Carter: No.
Steve Simmons: The intent, and I might be speaking out of turn here, but I think the intent was that, uh, someone may bring an issue to the council meeting, and that issue was brought forward, we, that was the first time the issue has been brought to us. Have we had enough time to consider that issue?
Ann Carter: And there were issues like that, that we had not heard until the Public Hearing. And then the other issue was us adjourning, and leaving people staying here for sometimes as much as an hour and, and with no, no meeting of the council going on at all. Uh, and a lot of issues you need to study and think about and not make a hasty decision on that particular night.
Dan Canada: I agree with that, and that’s what tabling is for. I mean we could table a issue and, you know, give everybody time. I …
Unknown: Uh, um.
Dan Canada: I … Mrs. Carter, I agree with that. The situation of having commission ruling and stay for an hour while council, uh, sits, is, is a problem. And I’m not saying that, that it may not have to go back 100% but I noticed the other day there were people sitting in the audience wondering why their issue wasn’t being spoke to and they were saying, well, you know, here I have come, wasted my whole evening, and if it’s not even, not even going to be brought up.
Lance Terpenny: They have two weeks.
Wayne Booth: Can I ask a question? Uh, I’ve noticed that when we go into our work session after Public Hearing, that council adjourns. Is that always necessary? Could they not have the citizen’s hearings and those types of things while, if we are in session?
Lance Terpenny: Sure.
Wayne Booth: And conduct some other business while we’re meeting and until we return?
Lance Terpenny: Continue with other business? Yes, sir. Absolutely, they could do that.
Wayne Booth: So why don’t we do that, then that would … some concerns can be addressed, that while we are meeting, we’re feeling like we’re not getting along, you know, because, there are issues that come up.
Lance Terpenny: Uh-huh.
Carol Lindstrom: Wouldn’t that eliminate citizen rights to participate in both the meetings, though?
Wayne Booth: That is not a public meeting because they cannot speak in that…
Lance Terpenny: It’s open to the public. It’s always open.
Carol Lindstrom: It is open to the public.
(Jumbled, multiple garbled voices.)
Wayne Booth: It is open to the public but they don’t … they are not supposed to be speaking in that meeting.
Carol Lindstrom: But we have the right to attend.
Wayne Booth: They have the right to attend. But they don’t have to say anything in there, they can get up and go in there.
Steve Huppert: Yes, they were to supposed to speak before.
Carol Lindstrom: Uh-huh. Yes, I’m not talking about speaking, I’m talking about simply the FOIA criteria that allows for people in the audience to come listen to you without missing something that’s going on in here.
Steve Huppert: You trade.
Wayne Booth: Trade … you make choices.
Steve Huppert: Choices.
Steve Simmons: But the other side of this, see also, is you being liaison, you’re, you’re going to have to miss one of two meetings being held at the same time.
Ann Carter: Yes. (Laughs). I can’t be both places.
Carol Lindstrom: But the other benefit that was even mentioned in the newspaper was the fact that by breaking it up this way, if citizens in the audience hear things and they’re concerned they have an opportunity, some time, in which they can call their town council member. The town council member can look then at the needs of the community, in the best interest of the community, and come up with whatever arguments. Yea, nay or in between somewhere that goes along with it. It helps to educate the community, helps them understand why you’re making decisions, sometimes maybe having a negative effect on them but having a positive effect on over 75% of the community.
Ann Carter: I think part of the problem is that, is it’s new and not being quite into the groove of council, how it’s working and, uh, a little confusing. I would hate to see us stop right yet. I’d like to give it more time and see how it works.
Long pause.
Steve Huppert: Sounds –
Michael Byrd: The only thing I’ve felt like is it actually lengthens the process, too. You know now instead waiting three weeks or four weeks, you’re waiting six weeks to get something done.
Ann Carter: No, not really.
Inaudible.
Steve Simmons: Okay. Well, for now, I think this is how Town Council directed us to operate, so we will continue operate that way, uh ...
Steve Huppert: Ann, you know how council feels about this?
Ann Carter: (Laughs). Of all people. I think we need more time, and I think it will run a lot smoother, uh, and people will get used to, to it. But I, I do feel like, that, as a Planning Commissioner and a council member, I hear things at these hearings that I had not heard at, I mean, like this.
Steve Simmons: Uh-huh.
Ann Carter: And it would totally change my mind and the way I would vote for it, and I think as a council person, especially those who are not on the planning commission and that are not here, at the work session, gives them a chance to go and look at a situation, look at a piece of property, hear from the people that were, were here and had some questions. I just think the more open we are with the public, the better we are.
Wayne Booth: That does give you, as a council, an opportunity to take.
Ann Carter: Yeah. But a lot of the time, Wayne, you know they take the recommendation of the commission.
Wayne Booth: True.
Unknown Voice: (Jokingly.) Maybe a reason to approve as instructed?
(Chuckles, laughing.)
Dan Canada: What does it do to the Planning Commission meeting process? Are we meeting more often, more frequent or are we … what’s it doing to the Planning Commission?
Lance Terpenny: Just barely more often, not really noticeable because as Ernie suggested when he first, kinda, put this timeline together, most of the times you’re meeting prior to a council meeting to address new issues anyway, so it’s at that same meeting that you would make a recommendation for what you heard at the last meeting during the Public Hearing. So, really, it doesn’t add a noticeable amount of new meetings for the Planning Commission.
Steve Simmons: You know I think the only time that, uh, well we don’t take care of any business on council meeting night anyway, but it adds that public hearing as a meeting and I think that might be able to feel like we’re there and I hate to say this, but 90% of the time nobody shows up to speak, anything. It feels like we’re sitting there not accomplishing anything. But that, that 10%, we’re really accomplishing something.
Dan Canada: I’d also like to go on the record to say I …I ’ve listened to Ms., Ms. Lindstrom and some of the other women and I think, and other people who attend our meetings, and I think that’s part of the process is to listen to people. But don’t be intimidated by them and don’t change the process because we’re being threatened by a microphone in our face or a bunch of people writing something on the internet. I’m being, I’m quite honest and quite open about the fact that I’m becoming very disgusted by the intimidation that I feel at times, uh, from different people. So I would like to caution council and the commission, we must listen and we must listen intensely because there’s good ideas that comes from everywhere and we should always follow good ideas and make, uh, decisions, informed decisions, but make the decisions based on the right information, not because of intimidation. I feel that, uh, some of the things that the council and the commission are doing are being done out of intimidation. And, I, that just don’t sit well with me. So, I’ve said my piece and I’ll bring it up again.
(Short pause.)
Steve Simmons: You finished?
(Short pause.)
Steve Simmons: Anything else?
Ann Carter: Motion to adjourn.
Steve Simmons: We’re adjourned then.
Dan Canada: Thank you.
Gavel hits twice. End recording.
Postings here at "Think, Christiansburg!" were never intended to "intimidate" anyone, and instead are meant to help educate or inform the public about local government. What some may find disturbing is anyone with a long history of public service having issues when the public's business is being made more transparent and accessible.
Town Council made several types of changes over the past calendar year, some on their own and others relative to complying with State Code or the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Some of their decisions may even have taken citizen input into consideration (like late fees on water bills in certain situations), but that's for the individual reader to decide for themselves. It is important to note Christiansburg is the only locality in the county which does not provide video recordings of their public meetings so blogs or recordings or even newspaper reporters shouldn't be seen as a threat, rather as providing a service to the public the Town itself is unwilling or unable to do. (Residents are still waiting to see if a revamped town website will fill any of the void for accessing public information, too.)
While Town Council schedules meetings for the first and third Tuesday of each month (the same date and time our elected school board meets), it's anyone's guess when the PC will next meet. There is a PC meeting scheduled for Monday, Dec. 29th -- if you have the time, stop in and listen for yourself.