In an effort to budget time, Citizen Advisory Committee Chair Phil Anderson asked the 20 or so members of the public present at Thursday’s public hearing to identify themselves if they were planning on making a comment about Pickens’ possible move to a multi-person commission.
One guy in the front row raised his hand.
Anderson then increased the comment time limit from three minutes to five minutes, noting, “We’ve got plenty of time.”
No kidding.
Greg Moore, one of just four Pickens residents who has submitted a comment by mail, took the microphone and told the CAC he is torn between a three person and a five person commission with a county manager. Moore said he is, at this point, wrestling with the full-time/part-time status of the commission chair, citing concern with handing over too much authority to one person when, “trying to get away from having one [person] in control.”
Moore would like to have control mechanisms in place that would provide transparency for the chairperson’s position and further keep he or she from doing, “everything they want to without county approval.”
Moore also told the CAC he felt they should be prepared to provide specific information about the increase in cost of moving to a multi-person commission, but in the same breath noted he didn’t feel a multi-person commission would make government bigger.
“We’ll still have the same millage rate. They can’t raise that without approval,” he said.
He argued the multi-person board would provide more a more open, transparent government and that county residents would feel less “intimidated” speaking with their district commissioner over a sole commissioner.
Without Moore filling his five-minute time limit Anderson then closed the public comment section of the meeting. However, following the CAC chair’s closing comments a few members of the public asked the CAC questions, not initially the intention of the first round of public hearings but when considering the shortage of requested comments the questions were welcomed.
Stan Barnett asked what the line of succession would be if “Rob get’s run over or has a heart-attack.” Sole Commissioner Rob Jones, sitting in on the hearing, explained that the probate judge would take a sole-commissioner’s place for 60 days until a special election could be organized.
According to Jones the probate judge was at one point in charge of elections, which is why the position was initially chosen as successor to the sole-commissioner. “The statue still stands,” Jones said.
Following Jones’ comment, Anderson added that the question of succession is one of many the CAC will be addressing during the October public hearings, when a specific multi-person commission structure is recommended by the CAC.
Anderson emphasized the CAC will be going to “great lengths” to educate voters regarding advantages and disadvantages of the ultimate choice for a multi-person commission structure, but he also added that comments will still be accepted from the public concerning the final form, and also that modifications could still be made to that form during the last phase of the process.
The final public question of the evening came from a gentleman who expressed great concern about lack of voter involvement in the process thus far. The resident disapprovingly observed, when taking into account there were nearly 40 members of the CAC in attendance Thursday evening, that, “Hell, there can’t be more than 70 people here.”
Anderson informed the gentleman that the CAC’s process of studying commission structure has been widely reported on in this publication and also that Anderson himself has recently appeared on local television and radio programs promoting the public hearings.
Anderson also added that a longtime resident of the western part of the county told the CAC he thought the volunteer group was doing everything humanly possible to get residents of Pickens involved in the process, “short of going door to door.”
The next public hearing will be held on Monday, July20 at the Holy Family Episcopal Church on Cove Road at 7 p.m. There will be another public hearing on Thursday, July 23 at Hill City Elementary, also at 7 p.m.
The CAC is asking residents attending the public hearing to address the two following questions in their statement.
•If the voters choose to go to a different form of government, what multi-person form of government do you prefer and why?
•What questions must the CAC be prepared to answer when the committee makes a specific recommendation at the public hearings to be held in October 2009?
The CAC is also asking you to submit your comment in writing, including your name and contact information. You can either bring a hard copy with you to the public hearing or you can submit them via e-mail at PickensCAC@gmail.com, or by traditional mail at:
Citizen Advisory Committee
Pickens County Commission Structure
PO Box 2162
Jasper, Ga 30143
|
|
