Where there's a Will, there's a way

I attended the June 13 County Board meeting. This was one of the quickest meetings I attended, barely lasting 1/2 hour. I've been to most of the Board meetings since last September. This was the second meeting I attended where my opponent was absent. The Board Chairman said the absences were excused each time so I presume there was a compelling reason for both.

For the last two months the board voted on county appointments without announcing to attendees the names of those being appointed and to what committees. I'm sure that information is attainable by asking a Board member, inquiring at the County Board offices, or waiting for release of the official meeting minutes, but I don't know why the board should force people to jump through an extra hoop to get basic information. Additionally, at all meetings, the public are given meeting agendas, but not copies of motions being considered.

I would like to see the county use the internet to make this kind of information more easily available to the pubic. Motions, budgets, appointments and other agenda items should be posted on the Sangamon county website before each meeting so that it can be viewed by the public. That will make it easier for citizens to find out what their county government is considering in advance and make their opinions known before decisions are made.

I've heard people respond to this and similar proposals by saying that no one really cares about county government, so why bother? It’s true that most people don't pay close attention to county government but that shouldn't be an excuse for being more withdrawn from public oversight. When lack of interest is used as a reason for not reaching out to the public, it eventually becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Most local governments won’t receive public feedback if they don’t seek it out.

Rather than using apathy as an excuse, it should be a motivator for public officials to make people aware of how county government is effecting their lives. Many local governments have been using the internet to make their actions more accessible to the public for years. It's time for Sangamon County to catch-up.