In an effort to be more open, the new Butler County commissioner board has made some changes to how they run their public meetings.
The new board of commissioners- Leslie Osche, Kim Geyer and Kevin Boozel- have decided to give county residents an opportunity to speak at both the beginning and end of each of their two monthly meetings. There has always been a public comment period at the start of meetings but the comment period at the end was cut back in 2013 because the former board decided it took too much time.
There are some ground rules…Each speaker will have a three-minute time limit. And, comments at the beginning of the meeting must deal with an issue that is before the board at that specific meeting. Comments at the end can focus on any county topic.
There is not a limit on how many residents can speak during either period, but there is a 30-minute collective time limit. Solicitor Mike English said he has never been in a meeting where this limit was hit with residents still left to speak.
In addition, a packet with documents detailing specific motions before the board will be online for all to see before every voting meeting. That packet will typically be available the day before the voting meeting. Commissioner Boozel said this should also cut down on the amount of right-to-know requests the county has been having to process.
The commissioners have two meetings a month…every second & third Wednesday. The first is a work session that sets the agenda (nothing is typically voted on at this meeting); the second is a voting meeting. Both are open to the public and held in the Butler County Government Center. The commissioners urge residents to attend either.
The board held their agenda-setting meeting for February on Wednesday and they used a different seating arrangement, sitting in a circle.
“We want the agenda-setting meeting to be a true work session,” Commissioner Osche said. “We want to be at the table solving problems.”
Photo Credit: Butler Radio Network
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