Traverse City Record-Eagle

Our Views

February 10, 2012

TC officials' 'office hours' an outreach

----

It's not on par with repealing the city's old 1 percent "administration" fee, but for city government it's pretty good. Now it's up to the citizenry.

Some city commissioners have begun to hold regular "office hours" at the Governmental Center so residents could drop in to chat person-to-person.

The sessions will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on the Wednesdays following regular commission meetings, usually the first and third Mondays of the month. The next one is Feb. 22.

Not every commissioner has signed up. The daytime "office hours" are too much like real office hours, so this isn't for everyone. But it's a start.

Citizens have a chance to speak during commission meetings, but that's a far cry from asking a question one-on-one and getting an answer. Commissioners will get a chance to hear the subtext, which is often where real understanding lies.

The Traverse City school board has been doing this for some time, and it works for them.

Let's hope it translates to city business.

Text Only