Tuesday is a busy day for those who track open government in Montgomery County.
Monday is a Christiansburg Planning Commission meeting, beginning at 4pm. Their first three agenda items are appearing for a second time, and now that Public Hearings have been held one can expect this group to formulate recommendations to Town Council. Their 4th item is a CUP up for review, yet again (if only all minor and major home occupations were tracked so diligently). The ordinance for digital and electronic signage has been an ongoing saga for a year now. Apparently word is out on this recommendation, as several incongruent, ugly signs are back in working order.
Monday, though, is where "freedom of choice" really kicks in. Choose one:
The county Board of Supervisors will meet at 6pm for a closed meeting to discuss personnel matters. One can presume this may be relative to the hiring process for a new administrator, instead of the never-ending appointments to one of their committees (which we still don't understand being treated like hiring for employment).
The MCPS School Board will begin with a closed meeting at 6pm as well, this to discuss student discipline matters. A work session begins at 7:30, with student athletes from several schools being appropriately recognized for their achievements. This is followed by something novel for Christiansburg, a consent item to review the personnel report and payment of bills. Revised budget impacts, now that federal stimulus amounts are known, is also scheduled. Another novel item for the town would be looking at the Superintendent's Report, which lists what will be discussed.
The Christiansburg Town Council will also be meeting at 7:30pm, with their agenda viewable here (if the town's website isn't down again). This first includes Mr. Shane Adams making an appearance on the required bi-annual report for the Blacksburg-Christiansburg Visitors Center -- or is that on behalf of the regional Tourism Development Council, with whom the town has a current contract? Come listen, because we've heard council is loaded for bear.
This will be followed by the Planning Commission's recommendation from their meeting the day before, and council's subsequent votes on those items. Another report will be made by the New River Valley Development Corporation requesting "moral obligation" on financing, and the town attorney is following up on Councilman Barber's request to require safety equipment for bicyclists and skaters.
Council will also have a closed meeting to discuss a personnel matter and then the Town Manager will spring his Progress Report on anyone who sticks around that long.
If you can't make it to the meeting, be sure to watch it at your leisure courtesy WTOC-CL (that's Town of Christiansburg via Carol Lindstrom and her camcorder because council hasn't required local cable franchisees to broadcast their meetings, as has Blacksburg).