Commissioner Jay Kingery twice has made motions to change meeting time for Neosho County commissioners from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays to give constituents a better opportunity to attend.
The other two commissioners, Mike Schoenhofer and Nicholas Galemore, have not been supportive.
Kingery thinks greater transparency is more important than having meetings at a convenient time for county employees, who work during the day and easily are available for 8 a.m. meetings.
He’s right.
Iola’s council of eight and a mayor began meeting in the evening nearly two years ago and proved the public benefits. Never a city meeting goes by without several — sometimes a crowd — attending to hear firsthand what transpires.
Allen County commissioners should take a cue.
Except for people with a vested interest in what is occurring, their meetings seldom draw more than one or two visitors. Having evening meetings might take a month or two to catch on, but it’s a pretty good bet that people would avail themselves of the chance to hear and see what the commissioners are doing.
The decisions they make affect 12,000 residents of the county in many ways, including their pocketbooks, with the more citizen participation the better.
Having the public more informed is better. It is a part of governing that should be embraced at every opportunity.
— Bob Johnson
