School Board Could Educate Other Government Bodies With The Speed and Quality of Information They Provide

If you listen to representatives from our county and city, they talk about diversifying our community away from being a purely a tourist destination. They often talk about wanting to bring high tech companies to the Basin. They talk about all the things we have to offer these technology companies. It sounds so good. However, it’s easy to talk the talk but it appears walking the walk is harder.

The truth shines through when it comes to the meetings they run. In reality the only way we know what goes on in county and city meetings is to attend a meeting in person. The alternative is to wait a month or two and read meeting minutes. If you are concerned about an issue and want to know how your representatives voted, you better hope KPCW covers it the next morning. Is this 1978?

Contrast that with the Park City School Board. We wondered how the vote went on the Professional Studies Building last night. We checked the School Board web site and the results of the vote were listed by 6AM! Better yet, the video was available this morning too.

In the age of Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube what the school district has done is fabulous. Like the rest of society, they’ve embraced technology and it helps the community as a whole. What the Park City City Council, Summit County Council, and both Planning Commissions are doing — or not doing — is a disservice. How can we expect those bodies to help us transition our economy to high tech if they don’t embrace it themselves?

It’s like expecting the plough horse salesman to suggest the best SUV for your family.

We’ve been critical of how the board handles public comment; however, the speed at which this information is disseminated is best in class.