Delaware-Listening in on the Council Broadcast

 


Listening In On the Local Government

I took the bait and listened in over the Net on a Sussex County Council session.

The link to this broadcast is Sussexcounty.net Broadcast HERE.

Yon readers should check your own local government web site to see if such a thing is also offered. After all, Delaware still has 7-digit phone numbers and if they can offer this here it should be available across the land.

I was, in fact, pleasantly surprised.

First, the agenda is posted on the Council's web site and this helps to follow the action.

Sussex County Council
Agendas & Minutes
SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL
A G E N D A
APRIL 25, 2006
10:00 A.M.
(Sussex County Council meetings
can be monitored on the internet at www.sussexcountyde.gov)
10:00 Call to Order
10:01 Approval of Agenda
10:02 Approval of Minutes
10:03 Reading of Correspondence
10:05 Robert L. Stickels, County Administrator
1. Request for Executive Session regarding Land Acquisition
and Pending Litigation
2. Administrator's Report 10:10 Hal Godwin, Administrative Assistant
1. Proclamation - Fair Housing Month
2. Advisory Committee for Handicapped and Aging Citizens of Sussex County
A. Committee Member's Notice of Resignation
B. Appointment
1?3. Wastewater Agreements
A. Fenwick Shoals, Phase II - Agreement No. 362
B. Americana Bayside, Phase 7A and 9A - Agreement No. 566
C. Americana Bayside, Phase 7B and 9B -Agreement No. 571
D. Americana Bayside, Phase 10A -Agreement No. 573
E. Americana Bayside, Phase 10B - Agreement No. 576
F. Swann Cove, Phase III - Agreement No. 626
G. Canal Villas - Agreement No. 544
10:25 David Baker, Finance Director
1. Group Hospital Renewal Recommendation 10:40 James Griffin, County Attorney
1. Notice of Appeal by Libirio, L.P. regarding Subdivision No. 02-39, Christine Reece and William Gugno
10:55 William Lecates, Director of Community Development & Housing
1. Moderately Priced Housing Units-Report on Request for Proposals (RFPs) and Final Approval
11:15 Steve Masten, Director of Economic Development
1. Airport Hangar Site Leases
11:25 Lawrence Lank, Director of Planning & Zoning
1. Request for Time Extension -Vaughn and Alfred Melson (Conditional Use No. 1488)
11:35 Old Business: Change of Zone No. 1572 Riverview, LLC
11:45 Michael Izzo, County Engineer
1. Purchase of Property Adjacent to Landfill No. 2 - Stockley 2?11:55 Frank Shade, Purchasing Agent and Fleet Manager
1. Paramedic Vehicle Conversions - Bid Award
2. Surplus Equipment
12:05 Steve Hudson, Director of Maintenance/Engineering
1. Energy Management/Purchasing 12:10 Grant Requests


Pictured Left to Right: The Honorable Vance Phillips, The Honorable Lynn J. Rogers, The Honorable Dale R. Dukes, The Honorable Finley B. Jones, The Honorable George B. Cole

1. OM Boosters/Indian River Odyssey of the Mind Teams Unspecified Amount
Travel Expenses to World Finals
2. Delaware Foundation Reaching Citizens (DFRC)Unspecified Amount
Blue-Gold All Star Football Game
3. Laurel Middle School Unspecified Amount Travel Expenses/Business Professionals of America National Leadership Conference
4. Bethany Beach 4th of July Parade Committee $750.00 2006 Parade
5. City of Rehoboth Beach $150.00 Save Our Lakes Alliance/Lakes Preservation Workshop
6. Indian River School District's Adult Education Division Unspecified Amount
Delaware Quick Chicks/Travel Expenses/Huntsman World Senior Games
7. Beach & Bay Cottage Tour Unspecified Amount Benefit for the Friends of the South Coastal Library
12:20 Introduction of Proposed Zoning Ordinances
12:25 Any Additional Business Brought Before Council
12:30 Executive Session - Land Acquisition and Pending Litigation

1:30 Public Hearings: Conditional Use No. 1646
Carolyn A. Desilva
Conditional Use No. 1647
BDP Investments, L.L.C.
Conditional Use No. 1648
Terri L. Martin
*********************************
Pursuant to 29 Del.C. § 10004 (e) (2) Agenda items as listed may not be
considered in sequence. This Agenda is subject to change to include
additional items including Executive Sessions or the deletion of items
including Executive Sessions, which arise at the time of the Meeting.
***********************************
Pursuant to 29 Del.C. § (e) (5) this Agenda was posted on April 18, 2006, at
4:50 p.m., at the time when the Agenda was prepared by the County
Administrator.

I posted the full agenda for the meeting on 4/25/06 just to show how mundane the minutiae with which the local government must deal with.

And yet, I was spellbound. Not that I understood a thing going on but I suppose that comes with time. I was intrigued by item 6 right under the picture. I wonder what the hell "Quick Chicks" are and further, as an adult-education instructor in the Indian River school district, why I wasn't invited.

While I listened in on almost two full hours of this meeting, at one point the council adjourned into what they called an "executive session". Said session not being broadcast to the public and I suggest that is the purpose.

For now, let me say that I was very impressed, to my surprise, at how professional and detailed the county council elected leaders were to the task at hand. The session was not without some adversarial argument, but it was civil and resolved by a final vote.

I've learned a little something by this experience. I've learned that government does start at a local level and that it's quite revealing.

Check out and see if your local government has such a public broadcast. You might be surprised too.

More Delaware posts HERE