In most states there are rules that govern how government committees are allowed to meet and decide things. Most of the time, those committees need to provide advanced notice to the community, and the exact format depends on the state that you’re in.
For example, if you have a committee with less than six people, and three of them are Republicans who decide to meet at the last minute in secret and vote on something again in secret without telling anyone that it’s going to happen, they might be able to change the rules in a way that would benefit them and their friends.
Although you probably haven’t paid attention to it much, local governmental committees typically have their schedules posted somewhere in a municipal building, as well as on their website, and they often post notes about what they’re going to discuss in the upcoming meeting. All of this is done so the public can oversee the government, which is a necessary component of a healthy democracy.
Having a schedule is important, but so is the agenda.
I can tell you when Council is meeting 3 years from now because it’s already in the schedule. But if I don’t post the agenda by the Friday before the meeting we can’t discuss anything.
Heck - I had a typo on the agenda regarding date of a previous meeting for which the Planning and Zoning Commission would be certifying, so we had to pull the item and next month we’ll have to approve 2 sets of minutes.
This is also why you see so videos of local officials silent when there’s an impassioned speaker grilling them in public comments. If a citizen does up to a meeting to make comments on something that’s not on the agenda, the officials literally aren’t allowed to respond.
In most states there are rules that govern how government committees are allowed to meet and decide things. Most of the time, those committees need to provide advanced notice to the community, and the exact format depends on the state that you’re in.
For example, if you have a committee with less than six people, and three of them are Republicans who decide to meet at the last minute in secret and vote on something again in secret without telling anyone that it’s going to happen, they might be able to change the rules in a way that would benefit them and their friends.
Although you probably haven’t paid attention to it much, local governmental committees typically have their schedules posted somewhere in a municipal building, as well as on their website, and they often post notes about what they’re going to discuss in the upcoming meeting. All of this is done so the public can oversee the government, which is a necessary component of a healthy democracy.
Having a schedule is important, but so is the agenda.
I can tell you when Council is meeting 3 years from now because it’s already in the schedule. But if I don’t post the agenda by the Friday before the meeting we can’t discuss anything.
Heck - I had a typo on the agenda regarding date of a previous meeting for which the Planning and Zoning Commission would be certifying, so we had to pull the item and next month we’ll have to approve 2 sets of minutes.
This is also why you see so videos of local officials silent when there’s an impassioned speaker grilling them in public comments. If a citizen does up to a meeting to make comments on something that’s not on the agenda, the officials literally aren’t allowed to respond.