Antrim residents want agendas put on Web

November 26, 2008|By KATE S. ALEXANDER

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - Antrim Township has not published an agenda on its Web site since October and both residents and at least one supervisor are crying foul.

Supervisor James Byers said it was the policy of the township for some time to publish the agenda by the Friday before the meeting, and since the re-organization in August there has been a lapse.

Byers asked Chairman and Interim Township Administrator Curtis Myers why he cannot get out an agenda by the day of the meeting, adding that it was Myers who insisted the township have some semblance of transparency in the first place.

Supervisor and Interim Projects Manager Fred Young III said township officials and employees are very busy and for the last few meetings have had many changes to its agenda.

"For instance the radios, that was a last-minute addition," he said. (See story at right)

The agenda published for residents at the meeting at 7 p.m. only specified items for discussion under Zoning, Plan/Bond Expirations, Visitors and New Business. The reports of Interim Utilities Director Rick Baer, Young and Solicitor John Lisko were blank.

Yet each presented items for discussion or information.

Robert Smith of Angle Road brought the issue up during public comment.

Smith said he uses the agenda to know what is going on in his backyard, but because the township has not published the agenda, he was unaware he had missed a meeting last week.

"It has to be a simple thing to put the agenda on-line, they were doing it before," he said.

Young said there has been discussion of just publishing the agenda at the start of the meeting because it is beneficial to reveal the agenda later rather than sooner, but said it is his goal to "get back to the way things were."

Byers said is it not acceptable to ask supervisors to vote on items after only minutes earlier learning they were on the agenda.

"I think it is unacceptable that me, a supervisor, cannot get an agenda by at least noon on the day of," he said.

The Herald-Mail was provided with a copy of Wednesday's agenda at 4 p.m. Wednesday after making a phone request.

The last agenda posted to the Antrim Township web site is dated Oct. 21.

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