Park City Needs to Keeps its Citizens Up to Date

One of the charges against Park City government is that it’s too insular — it’s too much of an insider’s game. The counter argument from Park City officials is that they need more input from citizens in order to make the best decisions possible.

I’m sure all parts of government would welcome more citizen involvement. However, it’s hard for citizens to keep track of what has happened when minutes from meetings are not posted online in a reasonable amount of time. In fact, Utah code 52-4-203 (4)(B) says: “Written minutes shall be available to the public within a reasonable time after the end of the meeting.”

What’s reasonable for written minutes of the meeting to be provided to the public? Two weeks? A Month? Six months? The law doesn’t define it. However, I’m afraid we have exceeded reasonable with the Park City City Council. The last minutes posted online for public consumption are from June 4th… Yes, that June 4th. Six-plus months ago.

That is ludicrous. While I suppose it is possible to listen to 4-6 hours of audio every week from the council on each topic, the public should be able to quickly read the minutes of the meeting to understand what business was conducted, how members felt about issues, and how they voted.

Right now, citizens are in the dark and that is not good for anyone in or around Park City.

In 2016, I hope the City Council finds a way to provide minutes with only a few weeks delay. It’s not only the law but the best way to ensure that the public is involved.