Just a short installment this time, I am spending part of my Sunday reading through my Board Packet for the upcoming meeting on Tuesday. I've had a draft of this post sitting around for over a week, so I thought I should go ahead and get it out there for you to read.
With any new job, even an appointed position, there comes the inevitable paperwork; like tax withholding, for the record, Trustees are paid $1,200 a year in monthly installments, (after taxes that comes to a whopping $87.35 a month), a surety bond (the district picks up the tab for that), and required certifications. The last item came in the form of an email from Karen with the attached text.
Open Meetings Act
Elected and Appointed Members
OMA Electronic Training
Effective January 1, 2012, elected or appointed members of a public body subject to OMA must
complete the electronic training once during their term of election or appointment as follows:
• Any person who is an elected or appointed member of a public body subject to the Act on January 1, 2012, must complete the electronic training between January 1, 2012, and January 1, 2013.
• Any person who becomes an elected or appointed member of a public body subject to the Act after
January 1, 2012, must complete the electronic training no later than the 90th day after taking the oath
of office or, if not required to take an oath of office, after otherwise assuming responsibilities as a member of the public body.
Elected or appointed members need not complete the electronic training on an annual basis thereafter unless they are also designated to receive training on compliance with the Open Meetings Act.
The Public Access Counselor’s Office’s OMA electronic training is available free of charge at:
http://foia.ilattorneygeneral.net
I have included the link, which opens in a new window, so that if you are curious, you can take the training yourself, the only difference is that you don't get a certificate at the end.
Overall, the training is pretty forgiving, if you get an answer wrong you can keep going back until you answer correctly. The main concern is ensuring that the concepts of the Open Meetings Act are understood by the trainee, and hopefully will abide by them in their official actions.
This leads me back to my thoughts about how our government communicates with the public.
During my campaign for Commissioner, I advocated for more open communication between government institutions and the public they serve, and as I become more familiar with laws like the Open Meetings Act, and the Freedom Of Information Act, I become more convinced that government has a responsibility to inform and educate the public, and the public have a corresponding responsibility to learn how their government functions and performs.
I am under no illusions that such open communication would be easy. There are those in the public sector; elected officials, and civil service employees that regard the provisions of the OMA, and especially FOIA as nuisance that diverts time and resources unnecessarily away from the work that they are doing. It is true that there are those who use those laws as a bludgeon to harass public officials that they disagree with, or even just dislike for some reason.
Whether complying with these laws is a nuisance, a hassle, or just a waste of money is beside the point. These laws were implemented to redress a history of public bodies acting in a secretive and high-handed manner that rewards select insiders at the expense of the rest of the population.
In my opinion, if a public entity takes that extra step to educate their constituents about what they are doing, and illustrate for them how those actions are for the benefit of everyone, the less cause for suspicion by the public.
That doesn't mean the average citizen is off the hook, democracy is a team sport and we all have our parts to play. So, every once in a while, just take a look around at all those things we take for granted on a daily basis; streets, electricity, water, sewer, fire department, and police. Ask yourself, how are these services provided, and do I know who is responsible for running them?
If you don't know, devote a little spare time to educating yourself, a little knowledge can be a great advantage, especially the next time you step into a voting booth.
As always, I welcome your comments and questions, either through the comment feature below or directly via email at fischerforzion@gmail.com .
