In my writings, on the web page, facebook and this blog I often mention the level of disengagement between the city government and the public. Before I head out to stump in front of the Post Office today, I remembered something that I hadn't shared publicly yet.
On March 19th, at 6:00pm, there was a Public Hearing about the referendum on Electrical Aggregation held in the Council chamber at City Hall. Briefly, aggregation means that the City would select an electricity provider and negotiate a price for all residents and businesses in Zion. Anyone who doesn't like the negotiated rate can opt out and choose their own provider.
Since it was a workday, I went right to city hall after getting off the train and arrived at 6:15 pm. I walked in and found the room empty, with the exception of the Council members; Flammini, DeTienne, Shantal Taylor, and Mayor Pro-Tem Jim Taylor presiding. At the podium was a representative of NIMEC, Northern Illinois Municipal Electric Collaborative, the agency that will be brokering the aggregation process if the referendum passes.
I sat in the back as I usually do, just to observe. I think one other person was in the audience. The presenter finished answering questions from the Council members. Mr. Taylor announced that the floor was open for public comment, and there being none, there was a motion to adjourn. That was it, the whole public hearing on a process that may determine what everyone in Zion will pay for electricity for the next two years.
Now, I can't fault the city for not providing notice to the public, the hearings have been announced at City Council meetings, posted on the city website, and published in the Zion Benton News. All these notifications meet the requirements of the law on open meetings. The letter of the law is being upheld, but is the spirit?
The Sunday after that, I went to a gathering of some supporters of mine, and in the discussion I asked if anyone had been aware of the hearing about electrical aggregation. None of them knew about the hearing, and these are people who are actively interested in the city and how it functions. I think we have a lot of hard work ahead to get the public and the government talking to each other.
The next public hearing on Electrical Aggregation will be this coming Tuesday, April 2nd, 6:30 pm at City Hall. Self-governance requires us to participate in the process too. So, I encourage anyone who can to attend, even if it is just to listen and learn about what is being proposed.
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