Council
more customer conscious
By Elizabeth Prata
At Gray's meeting Monday night, the Council thanked
the Cable Committee for televising it. Monday nights
were termed workshops, but business was conducted
and though no votes taken, much business decided,
making the workshops not much different in effect
than regular meetings.
This Council is pleased with the opportunity the Cable
committee has offered in extending their broadcasts
to Monday night in addition to regular Tuesday night
meetings. Citizens may now watch them live or watch
the re-broadcast, schedule to be announced soon.
The Council also rearranged its agenda to coincide
more with citizen concerns, as Manager Mitchell A.
Berkowitz said, "to be more customer conscious."
The portion of the meeting set aside for "Public
Comments of Non-Agenda Items" has been moved
to the very beginning of the meeting.
Traditionally at the end, the Council had moved it
up to the middle of the meeting a few months ago,
but Monday night said that it is better for the public
to be able to speak their mind and then have the choice
to stay or go home, rather than wait several hours
to speak.
They also moved up Orders to the beginning, saying
that Orders are frequently housekeeping items that
impact citizens directly. Last Tuesday night, for
example, an applicant for a junkyard license had to
wait three and a half hours to see the Council take
only a minute to approve it.
Citizens are welcome to speak at Public Comments of
Non-Agenda Items at 7:00, when the meeting opens.
Manager Mitchell A. Berkowitz indicated that since
the Council is changing the agenda that they may want
to think about instituting a time limit on speakers,
perhaps 3 minutes.
Last, the Council decided that they will conduct their
meetings on the floor, rather than on the stage behind
the dais. The cable committee's new wireless microphones
make this change possible. The tables will be arranged
on the floor in horseshoe fashion, and the Council
feels that their placement on the floor at the same
level as citizens will be more inviting and less ceremonious.
The Council meets the Second and Fourth Monday nights
in the non-voting meeting, and the First and Third
Tuesdays in the regular, voting meeting. Of the change
Monday night, Council said they encourage attendance
at meetings, and comments at any time.
Gray
Town Council
Chair: Gary Foster, Ph/fax, 657-4754, gfoster@securespeed.net
