| Completely Different: Your local government and you |
 May 04, 2012 By Elizabeth Gross elizabethgross@geringcitizen.com |
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 We all sat through history and government classes in school. We learned about the Bill of Rights, the systems of government and what they do. Each year we built on what we learned the previous year, learning about what our senators, congressman, and our presidents do. Finally, we touched on state government and the ever-important subject of learning the difference between them, but there was one class I’m sure that many people my age missed out on, what our local government does. I don’t remember ever learning about local government in school. It’s a shame too, considering local government affects us even more directly than state or federal government does. Unlike their state and federal counterparts, local government allows its citizens to voice any concerns that may be going on. One can write a letter and it will be read. One can call them on the phone and talk to a council member directly. If one doesn’t like the answers they are receiving, they can attend a city council meeting and ask to speak. If I were not working where I am today, I wonder if I ever would have known or cared about local government. There is no big book called “Your local government and you” and there is no “Local government for dummies.” Believe me I looked. What I have discovered is that it is very important to get involved and so easy too. Local government is all about knowing when and where to look for the information about what is going on. So, today I will guide you in the simple steps one can take to get involved. Step one: Know the facts In a smaller community like ours, word of mouth spreads faster than wildfire. It’s a lot like that game called Telephone where one person starts with something they heard and passes it to the next person and so forth. By the time the game is over, the facts are all jumbled. To avoid this type of confusion, find reliable sources to get the facts straight. You can pick up a newspaper, go online, or talk to the people who may have been involved. When you know the facts, you can make an informed opinion about how you feel regarding a certain subject. Step two: Attend city council meetings I know you’re busy and the last thing you want to do is go and listen about government. Well, the beautiful thing about it is that before meetings, councils must release an agenda. You have to pay your utilities bill every month, while you’re there ask your city clerk for an agenda. The agenda will tell you what they will be talking about at the next city council meeting. If it doesn’t concern you, then you don’t have to go. This keeps you informed, and prevents any surprises when a new bill is passed. If you do ever attend, it is a very interesting experience. At first you may have no idea what is going on; however, the more of these meetings you attend, the more you can learn. Step three: Read the public notices What are public notices you ask? Well, if you ever open the newspaper while pursuing the classified section, you might find a section called public notices. All government entities, which include the school boards, must notify the public in advance of when they have a meeting. They must also publish meeting minutes, which give a sort of play-by-play about what happened at the meeting. The Gering Citizen publishes notices for the City of Gering, City of Minatare, Gering School Board, and Minatare School Board. They are listed in the classifieds section of the paper and are also listed online. If you visit our website at www.geringcitizen.com, there is a search engine for public notices that allows you to search for anything you might be looking for, including dates. Click on the icon and type in keywords to help you narrow down your search. If you can’t be at the meetings, the public notices give you an inside look at what you might have missed. Step four: Vote In local government your vote really does matter. Is there someone on the city council who you feel like isn’t doing their job? When season is near, local newspapers do stories on candidates, encouraging them to share their goals and perspectives about the direction our community should go. Take time to inform yourself about them. Then make time to go out and vote. It is the purest form of a democracy. If someone is doing something you don’t agree with, do something about it. Be sure to cast your vote for the person you believe will be best suited for the job. You have the power to change your community. This year is an election year, your television is probably already swelling with ad campaigns. Turn on your TV and you’re met with a media circus. In the center are your two candidates, Mitt Romney, who is dull as dirt and Obama, who spends too much time on the Jimmy Fallon show. Instead, shut off the television and connect with your community. Because in this day and age when it seems like the world is falling apart, our community will always be there for us. |
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