Maybe if the BOCC would televise their meetings, county citizens would have a better understanding of the commissioners' intentions and more time to let their viewpoints be heard before the commissioners take action. Why do the commissioners keep refusing to televise their meetings? What are they trying to hide? The City Council and BOE televise their meetings. Chief

Why? My opinion is four of the five want to prove what liars they are. Four out of 5 of the said they would support televising the meeting when they were running for office. They got in and now they don't want it. My attitude is you lie once you will probably lie again and that is why they don't want us watching.

The BOCC meetings are already on podcasts. I think you can listen to it at www.washco-md.net.

I believe the City Council meetings are televised because of a franchise agreement with Antietam Cable. The County has no such agreement with AC.

There would be a cost associated with the televising of the BOCC meetings. If you're that interested in it, contact the County Commissioners (their email addresses are also listed on the County's web site) and let your views be known.

Personally, listening or watching... same difference.

At least we know 1 of the commissioners is for it. Kid has stated and oushed for this but if hes the only one that wants this to happen there is little chance of it ever coming to fruition.

In my opinion regardless of cost it should be televised. The additional cost hopefully will be saved by the people learning more and then stopping the spending spree that is currently occurring at the BOCC. It seems very strange to me with the economy going down the tubes, the price of gas; every other entity is looking at saving and cutting cost. The BOCC is spending spending spending.

Next year is going to be hell on taxes. With the Dems proposing the largest tax increase in US history, the county spending out of control, the city going in debt so raising taxes seems like it is around the corner. Hope I get a big raise next year to make up the tax increases.

I know that staff has been exploring ways to do this in a cost effective manner for some time now, and I am optimistic that televised meetings will occur before the end of this administration.

Tony, not sure I understand your comments as you are correct there were 4 of 5 that favored it when asked during the campaign, but I have been continuing to press for this to happen since taking office, and I know of at least one other that is interested as well.

Not trying to be an a$$ but if we can afford to purchase 4.6 mil worth of real estate that no county taxpayer seems the least bit interested in buying why cant we cough up 50K or whatever it would take to televise the meetings? seems kind of a$$inine to hear the commissioners quibble over 50-100K but not blink at forking over 4.6 mil

the city going in debt so raising taxes seems like it is around the corner

Hago, where do you get your information from? Man, I need someone like you on the Council so I can use you as a crystal ball. Apparently you know more than any of the current Council or myself. After all, the budget does not get presented to us until the end of March. And if you have a problem with borrowing money through a bond issue, I would appreciate it if you went down on Jonathan St. and informed those people that we just can't afford to fix their water and sewer lines and their road. And that although you feel for them, your basement doesn't flood everytime a water line breaks. So, it doesn't affect you, hence, why should you worry about fixing their problem?

psst - there is no tax increase in this years budget, or next. Just a heads up.

But, before you start, I know. Assessments, blah, blah, blah, taxes increase anyway. I hear ya. I appealed my assessment, got a reduction of 15K over the next three years from the original assessment. Still, up 35K over three years.





Just bustin on you Hago.

Oh by the way, I'm a County tax payer and I am happy they bought those properties.

People that are sucking up to the commissioners to get a bigger slice of the pie don't count. But it does show you are trying your best for Hagerstown
If they do build or expand to these "new" locations it can only help the city.

I have an idea that might get you some brownie points. Why not let the commissioners use the cities set up to televise their meetings? I am sure channel 6 must own the equipment but I'm sure some kind of deal could be worked out to get the meetings televised.

You had someone like me; KID and you have someone like me Brubaker on the council. They are the ones that are fiscally responsible. Has nothing to do with looking in a crystal ball it has to do with responsibility.

I am glad you pick one issue, helping Jonathan Street. That is a good one. And no I have no issue with completing this project. Maybe if the councils in the past cared more about the people that live on Jonathan Street these things would have been fixed long ago, but I guess they did not have the wizard like skills of me to see the future either. I bet if more city workers, police officers, fireman, or union reps lived on Jonathan Street it would not be in the shape that it is in today.

Just keepin it real Mayor.

I don't really know much about the details behind this situation, but if we are pursuing the overall integration of city/county services, why doesn't the BOCC just hold it's meetings where the Mayor and City Council hold theirs? It would seem that with all of the equipment in place there already, there wouldn't be much incremental cost to broadcast the BOCC meetings as well. How about it Mayor, will you invite Kid and his friends over to play? Maybe you guys could even have some joint meetings together there that we could watch.

X2

X3

I don't want to watch the City's crying about how they are the "red-headed step-child" of the county. That is BS.

Look at the outlying areas of the county, they(we) are the bastard children.

Agree

Hey General don't forget, the city taxpayer forked over roughly 1 Million of their taxes for these properties.

And we can cry about anything we want to.

And you exercise that right, regularly.

I'm sorry I have to do this.... Can we all feel the love on this thread. I think what we're all seeing is the National Budget issues hitting home as well as city and it's really got us all in a tiff.... We'll get through it. As for me I wish the commisioners would have done something more with our Jail. Meaning like buy an old building rehab it strickly for female's. This would help to rid a large portion of city crimes, Not all crimes are done by men. Just a fact.!!!!!!!! By somehow doing this I would think that we'd get more state aide and also open up more job market for the city. JMO..

Kid simple fact is four of the current commissioners said "yes" when asked if they would vote to televise the meetings. This was said at the HCC forum. Has a vote been taken?

No (unless we missed something), it hasn't that means it is another promise not kept. I think it is great that you support it and that one of your fellow commissioner is debating if he is going to be a liar or not. How about not beating around the bush and bring it up for a vote. Even if it is defeated, we the voters will know who the liars are and will take them to task. Let's make it all out in the open and see what happens. I know you may not like having something you bring forward go down, but not bringing it forward means there is no chance it will ever happen.

The podcast was an ok idea but I know very few people who will sit down to listen to streaming over the internet. Most people are however comfortable sitting down and watching something. Besides half the fun of the meetings iwatching the expressions of those involved.

Thanks
Tony

So how about it Mr. Mayor and Kid? If one of your shared goals is to integrate services to achieve cost savings while better serving the public, this would be a good place to start. If you guys can't pull this one off by sharing one room, how do you expect entire departments to share space on a daily basis? This would set a great example for the others to follow.

I can tell you why it won't happen. The city broadcast from Council Chambers. The county won't want to be seen as being "in bed" with the city since they "represent" all of the county. Of course Wivell will bring up that it cost too much to move their paperwork or whatever to the other location also. The city will be afraid it will "interfere" with their use of the chamber or possible use of the chamber. Face it half of the bozos we have elected couldn't agree to leave a burning building together much less work together for the good of the people. I leave it to you all to guess who the bozos are since I said only half of them are bozos.

Tony, unfortunately the county is already in bed with the city.



Their interests lie there as do they.

Tony, if you would be following the County meetings you would know that we just passed a goals list I helped develop that includes televising meetings. And Patton, you are correct, the BOCC is in bed with the City, in fact I would hope we are in bed with every other local govt we should be participating with at every level possible that will better serve the citizens in a cooperative fashion. This is in part why I attend each of the municipal meetings on a rolling monhtly schedule, sit on nearly a dozen boards and commissions and attend their monthly meetings, and have been visiting each of our fire and rescue comnpanies to figure out how we can better serve their needs. Being an isolationist from cooperation gets us no where.

So what do you think Kid? Can you guys use the Council area to hold your meetings so that they can be televised or is there some other technical hangup that could prevent this from happening? This would be a good initiatiive to illustrate the move to an integrated environment between the city and the county, and it would proabaly be very cost effective while also providing the public insight to the meetings. It looks like it would be a win-win-win situation. What's your take?

Kid, quit stating the obvious and patting yourself on the back. You have reminded us all numerous times about all of the meetings you ATTEND. Give yourself a hero biscuit, I don't care how many meetings your ATTEND, what I care about is taking the info from those meetings and turn it into action. You start bragging about that, then well talk.

hey man, can i jack that for my sig?? that's funny as hell.

Sure.

Thanks, Patton, make sure you remind me to do that at the next community meeting you attend, or any other minimal effort you might make in participating in bettering the community that does no include posting anonymously on a public forum, then we can really talk about what I am and am not doing.

Drevin, off the cuff I would assume there is some written limitiations in the contract agreement between the City and Antietam Cable that would need worked out in terms of use. Also, there is certainly a scheduling conflict as the BOCC meetings typically run into the 4PM meeting time that the M&C meet. That being said I would prefer that televised meetings occur at the County building given scheduling of staff being readily present when issues arise, or public being generally aware of where to expect to attend.

Kid,

In terms of the scheduling of the meetings, couldn't the BOCC just change which day they meet so there wouldn't be a time constraint for the start of the Mayor & Council meeting? In terms of the public knowing where to go, this could probably be communicated easily if the change in meeting place/time could be made permanent.

Now in terms of Antietam Cable, that is something that would have to be looked into. It would be worth a call or two wouldn't it if the result was televised meetings at a much lower than projected cost?

Your point about staff availability is a valid one. Moving the physical location of the meeting would require very efficient scheduling of the staff's time and coordination of the meeting schedule so that there would not be so much 'down time' for the staff waiting to present info or provide backup.

You raise valid points, but wouldn't it be worth looking into or at least doing a test run to see how it works. It wouldn't be much different than holding the BOCC meetings on a rotating basis throughout the county. This could be done in the same respect, except the one in Hagerstown could be televised. If that works out, maybe they could all (or at least some) be moved there.

I can see my cable bill going up already.

why don't they put it on that channel that airs the mummer's parade and all those "ghosts of washington county" shows??

not that i care. i don't have Antietam cable.

Hey Burn,

If John Munson ever gets reelected and they end up putting the meetings on the same channel as the 'ghosts of Washington County', viewers won't be sure if they are watching that show or a BOCC meeting. We've got to have it on a different channel to avoid confusion.

You should really get Antioetam Cable if you can too. If you ever have trouble sleeping, just watch one of the City Council meetings and old Lew will put you right under with one of his 20-minute ramblings about some obscure code that somehow links back to Conservit. I never really figured how Kid used to stay awake during those meetings. I think if you looked close though, you could see the headphone cords from his MP3 player and his head nodding to his Green Day songs. Mayor, how are you able to still stay awake during these things?

Kid "goals" are great my goals invole winning a million dollars, living to 110 years of age and dying in the throes of passion with 3 or 4 22 year old cheerleaders. Goals and 2 bucks will still get you a cup of coffee and that is it.

I am glad you trying but forget the goals and put it to a vote. Lets get you guys on the official record. That way if it doesn't pass 4 to 1 as promised I can look certain people in the eye and call them liars. I have no compunction about calling a liar a liar and I really don't care what their title is. This isn't rocket science and it isn't much in the way of expense in the scope of things so why in over a year can't you guys just get a straight up vote?

Munson wouldn't vote for it. We would see what he was like, the county version of Penny Nigh.

I have visions of Cell Phones being thown at the camera.

Tru that Tru That!!! Instead I would have said that Goals and $5.99 will get you the Chinese buffett at Pacific Ocean.

I started this thread and it has been interesting reading the responses. I have to agree that the BOCC has used the lame excuse that they can't afford to broadcast their meetings for too many years now. Money seems to be no object when they want to improve their own digs. I can just imagine the outrage that would occur if the BOE spent money on new properties to accommodate their central office staff while there is such a backlog of maintenance projects. I bet the BOCC would be some of the first to complain. I still believe the majority of the commissioners prefer to keep the citizens in the dark about their intentions until it is too late for citizen input to have any effect. As far as, the internet stream, I agree that no one wants to sit and listen to that seated in front of a computer. Chief

Chief, I like the way you think.

Prime example a couple of weeks ago we receive a notice from the State or County DNR (Nature Freaks), stating they will be spraying for gypsy moth or mosquitos in my area. The purpose of the flyer is to tell us of a meeting about said spraying. I think to myself hey, now that's pretty good them informing me of this meeting. Until, I find out they are holding the meeting at the other end of the county. How stupid is that, let's not have the meeting in the area effected (or is it affected), lets put it at the other end of the friggin county so we don't get maximum participation of the residents in the area impacted. Typical State/County BS.

They talked a good game but when push came to shove they are no different than any other politicians. What the public doesn't know will keep them from getting voted out.