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Monday, October 28, 2013

Letter to the Editor - re: Board of Supervisors preliminary meeting agenda cancellation



Dear Board of Supervisors,

We are concerned that the County Clerk will no longer be preparing and sending out preliminary Board of Supervisor meeting agendas (see message below).  This has been a very helpful and useful service to ensure an open and transparent government.

In the past, preliminary agendas were emailed Wednesday afternoon, and the final board packet usually posted on Thursdays. But we have been told this is going to stop—that only the final meeting agenda and packet will be available, and not until Friday afternoons.

This may meet Brown Act requirements (as explained), but it cuts two days out of public knowledge of board meeting items.  Eliminating access to preliminary meeting information will not be helpful to the public, newspapers, or other media, and will be detrimental to a “more open and transparent process.” 
 
Newspapers will not have the Tuesday meeting information in time for Friday papers.  The public and other agencies and departments will not have enough time to distribute important meeting information before the weekend.

We’re not sure how elimination of preliminary agendas for the public is a great cost savings, as we understand these preliminary agendas are still being created and are available at supervisor's request.  Sending the same preliminary agenda to the email list shouldn’t take much time, and we ask you to please consider keeping that courtesy in place.

Thank you.

Respectfully,

Colleen Platt, Secretary
MyValleySprings.com