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With citizens at the table, a new dialog begins

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Staff

Facing a 300 percent % increase in sewer rates, Efland families, many living in Habitat communities, want to pay their fair share – but they were unwilling to fund fiscal insolvency created from 25 years of neglect. Since their perspective was missing from county reports, many people incorrectly assumed that these families were the beneficiaries of 25 years of public assistance.

Rather than continue voicing their views at Board of County Commissioner (BoCC) meetings, the group held their own meeting and invited county officials to attend. Some officials did attend – along with nearly 100 friends and neighbors.

At their own meeting, this well-informed, well-prepared group explained years of inaction and questionable accounting – much of which occurred before their communities were built. None of this was mentioned in county reports. The community found good alternatives and asked to participate in the solution. They were clear and concise – unlike county reports which sometimes obfuscate the facts and confuse the Board and the public.

The meeting differed in many ways from a BoCC meeting. County officials sat at the same table as the citizens – an immediate equalizer and stark contrast from physical disparity that’s built into council meeting halls. Despite their newfound stature, the citizens were professional and respectful.

Unlike county meetings, there were no 3-minute buzzers to interrupt an important point or disrupt a train of thought. With the benefit of visual aids and other tools, the citizen presentation had the same gravitas as a county or consultant report. Their message was finally getting across to the county officials, the public and the press. It took less than an hour.

This time the citizens were asking the questions. They didn’t always get the answers they wanted – but at least they now know where they stand. For the rest of us, this courageous group demonstrated how citizen input can change the story and open the door to a much-needed public dialog between our communities and our government.

Today, government officials devote a great deal of time listening to citizens complain in 3-minute statements that are painstakingly recorded in compliance with open meeting law and other procedural policies. In contrast, any non-citizen organization having business with the county is placed on the board’s agenda where they can openly converse with board and county management.

Of course, citizens can be guilty of bombastic, inaccurate or self-serving rhetoric. But so can county officials, other organizations and politicians.

Rather than begging to save their homes and community, the Efland group wants to work with the county to shape the solutions that impact them. Isn’t this exactly what’s needed to eliminate hours of public outcry and debate? Might similar citizen participation have prevented protracted outrages on airports, waste facilities and services, emergency services, libraries, budget cuts, taxes and fees, and other issues?

The business of the county is our business. Without constructive citizen input, important options are routinely overlooked – and valuable county and citizen resources are wasted trying to rectify problems that could have been avoided. Given our vested interest in our communities, isn’t good citizen input critical to successful public policy?

An equal seat at the table can proactively engage citizens in the solutions that will impact us for years or decades to come. A more complete story will emerge and we’re likely to discover better and more creative solutions to the difficult problems facing our communities. It would certainly be an improvement to rooms packed with anxious citizens, hours of repetitive 3-minute testimony, and inertia.

We are committed to work together and with the county to find better ways to connect our government with our communities. Our future is at stake. We are inspired by the words used by Efland resident Joann Mitchell to end their groundbreaking meeting:

“We are not going away. We will continue to organize. We will continue to research additional possibilities. We will continue to attend meetings in numbers and speak to the media about these issues. We will continue to speak with our elected county commissioners and in the name of justice and with the aim of a win-win solution in which we the customers of the sewer system are treated with the respect and dignity that we deserve. “

Sincerely

For Carolina Concerned Citizens,
Nancy Holt
For Efland Communities,

Allison Coleman, Sam Gharbo and Joann Mitchell
For Justice United,
Stephanie Perry and Patricia Galu
For Orange County Voice,
Bonnie Hauser, Michael Hughes and Norma White
For RENA/CEER,
Robert Campbell

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