Following the Action at Council Meetings

Councilman William Reid is the 2012 chairman of the Committee of the Whole, which means he leads the discussion at agenda-fixing sessions. Having viewed some sessions on television, Reid said he realized the viewer couldn't tell what was going on, as agenda items were often referred to by alphabetical designations rather than content. So a viewer might hear, "Is everybody OK with item A?" and not have any idea what the council was considering. Reid decided he was going to read out the title of every item.

Monday's agenda had a total of 36 proposed resolutions and seven ordinances. But first the council had several discussion items, reports of committees and public comment. By the time the council got around to considering the resolutions and ordinances, it was after 10 p.m. Council President Adrian Mapp told Reid he didn't have to read every title, but Reid said after he got FiOS, he saw the council meetings and that's when he decided that people couldn't tell what the council was considering.

Plaintalker has long felt that meetings were hard to follow, even for those sitting in City Hall Library or Municipal Court with a copy of the agenda in hand. There is a binder with the text of each resolution and ordinance on hand at the meetings, but the best bet for anyone who wants to understand the proposed legislation is to review it ahead of time, at the Plainfield Public Library on the Saturday before the meeting or in the City Clerk's office on Monday before the meeting. That is where the details emerge, and residents including bloggers with questions or concerns can then raise them during public comment.

For example, Reid read item W: "Approve authorization to execute an access agreement between the City of Plainfield and the South Second Street Youth Center for the use of city-owned property located at Block 120 Lot 4.01 commonly known as 208-222 Lee Place to cultivate a community garden." This site is actually a former dry-cleaning plant that was the subject of a brownfields remediation to remove hazardous materials.  Someone who knew the details raised a concern about use of the site and was told the garden plots will be raised beds that will hold fresh soil. The item will be up for a vote next Monday and anyone else with concerns can speak in public comment before the vote.

Items Z through Z2 all  pertained to liens for boarding or cleanup of properties, and Z3 through Z9 were all escrow refunds. They could have been grouped as was the custom in the past, but Reid read out each one.

And then there was this gem of obscurity among ordinances up for first reading next Monday: "Bond 1254 - Bond Ordinance amending Section 3 of Bond Ordinance No. 1245 adopted September 15, 2008 as amended by Bond Ordinance No. 1246 adopted July 20, 2009 to amend the project description for said purpose to be undertaken in and by the City of Plainfield, in the County of Union, State of New Jersey."

Well, that is actually a rollover of $6.3 million to fund road repairs first proposed in 2008. Good news, but who knew from the title?

However worthy Reid's intention, there is still a gap of comprehension that can only be filled by knowing the details. This used to be one of the functions of reporters, but since most news organizations have moved away from covering municipal government, that leaves it up to others to flesh out the meaning of important legislation. Sometimes council members themselves will ask the administration to explain exactly what they are being asked to approve, including full costs and other implications that are not apparent from the title alone. Citizen watchdogs and bloggers also try to bring out ramifications of new legislation, and those who might be affected may do the same by speaking out before a vote.

So does reading out each title help? Plaintalker is interested in the opinions of viewers of council meetings as well as those who attend in person. How do you follow the action?

--Bernice