Public Hearings (or what to do with 3 minutes on a Tuesday night in Morrisville)

Public hearings. Probably ought to be called public talkings because these are scheduled opportunities for the public to talk, but not necessarily times when town officials listen. Sometimes at public talkings, our elected officials do listen but they don’t agree. In that case, we would call these 4th Tuesday opportunities public why-did-I-bothers.

No matter what we call them, they are an important and valuable part of the governmental process, a sort of don’t-just-sit-there-do-something that takes 3 minutes plus travel time. Ok, ok, traveling within Morrisville can be a real time drain. But there’s a payoff: invest 3 minutes (plus travel) and your name and opinion become a part of the official Morrisville public record. What a deal, right? But wait! There’s more! Get your like minded friends to do the same, and, who knows? Our tax rate might get lowered, road improvements might move to the top of the spending list, growth might pay for itself. Probably not. But one can hope.

Next public hearings/talkings/why-did-I-bothers are scheduled for Tuesday May 27, 2008 at town hall. You can view all six here. Of particular interest:

1. The proposal to change Morrisville elections from district representation to an all At-Large process is a fascinating one. Presently, four of six representatives must reside in a particular district. The other two can live anywhere. (Anywhere in Morrisville. Not anywhere, anywhere. That wouldn’t make sense.) Here’s the current district map . All Morrisville voters have the opportunity to cast ballots for all races, regardless of the voter’s district of residence. Wanna run for the District 2 seat in 2009? The way things are now, you have to reside in District 2. But you have to campaign town wide, not just in District 2, because while there is a district residence requirement to run, there isn’t a district residence requirement to vote. If the process changes, out goes the residence requirement. If three seats are up for grabs, the top 3 vote getters get them. If all 3 reside in District 2, then so be it. The will of the people and all. The potential problem: some elected officials are, um, gosh, what’s that phrase? Oh, yes. SELF SERVING. Stack a board with elected officials all residing in a single area of town and that district could end up with all the marbles. Need some marbles and don’t live in the marble district? Bummer. You can always attend a board meeting on any 4th Tuesday of the month. That’s when there is another 3 minute opportunity to speak. On the agenda it’s labeled “Public Comments.”
   
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2. FY 2009 Operating Budget (ie, your tax dollars and how they are spent) Taxes are going up, service levels aren’t. ‘Nough said.

Tuesday, May 27 100 Town Hall Dr with overflow parking available at the Chamber Building down the street. Fun begins at 6:30 registration available night of. 3 minutes to say what's on your mind. If you decide to skip, you'll never know if you missed a 3 minute public why-did-I-bother or a 3 minute chance to affect our tax rate.