Despite advertisements in The Deerfield Valley News, a posting on the homepage of the town’s Web site, and e-mails, only seven people have responded with suggestions for improving communication about town projects. The effort to seek public input was prompted by a recent controversy over the construction of a pergola in the Bank Park in the village. Some residents charged that the approval process was flawed and that, although there were a number of warned public meetings and hearings, as well as news coverage, the town had failed to adequately inform the public. During debate on the issue, town manager Bob Rusten pledged to seek the public’s advice for improving the distribution of information. “The idea is to have more transparency,” Rusten says.
Of the suggestions and comments received so far, Rusten says several are likely to be recommended for implementation. “One of the issues was that some people may not be able to join a certain committee because of the meeting time,” Rusten says. “Well, some of the committees may be willing to change their meeting time to accommodate a new member.”
Rusten says there are a number of committees that have vacancies, some that have gone unfilled for months. “The garage committee, the beautification committee, the planning commission, and the development review board all have openings,” Rusten said. “And certainly one way for people to get more involved and more informed is to actually volunteer on the committees. If committees are able to change their meeting time, maybe more people would be interested.”
At least one of the respondents said that meeting minutes were either hard to find, or left out information that would be of interest to people researching the activities of a committee or board. Rusten says he hopes to arrange a training session with a representative from the Vermont League of Cities and Towns. Rusten says the public would be invited to attend, along with members of the town’s various committees.
And there have been some “no-brainers,” Rusten says. During their work on the design for the pergola and the park, the beautification committee held their meetings in the morning. One of the suggestions the town has received is that all meetings regarding construction should be held during the evening, when more residents would be able to attend. Another suggestion is simply to inform every property owner about the town’s Web site, www.wilmingtonvermont.us, by including a notice with every tax bill. One respondent suggested that digital audio recordings of meetings should be made available for download from the Web site.
Wilmington already makes a significant effort to keep people informed. The town’s Web site includes links to committee and board agendas, minutes, and reports; meeting and hearing notices; ordinances and policies; event information; and more. The town also offers an e-mail newsletter sent out several times per week to about 250 recipients. But administrative assistant Mary Towne says according to her e-mail statistics, only about half of the e-mails are even opened.
“Only a small percentage of people subscribe to the town e-mail newsletter,” Rusten says. “And not all of them even open it. What are the reasonable things we can do beyond what we already do, that will reach more people?”
To offer a suggestion or idea contact Rusten at wilmbob@sover.net, or send it to P.O. Box 217, Wilmington, VT 05363.
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