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Gadsden County commissioners pull funding contract from special-meeting agenda after notice concerns
Summary
Commissioners removed a contract item from a special meeting agenda after commissioners and members of the public said the item had not been adequately advertised; the board approved the rest of the amended agenda and scheduled the contract for a July 8 special meeting.
The Gadsden County Board of County Commissioners on an amended special-meeting agenda removed a contract item after commissioners and members of the public said the county had not properly advertised it.
Commissioner (name not specified) raised the question before the board, saying, “did we advertise properly … for 7 c?” and several commissioners and members of the public said they had not seen the item in the public notice, prompting a motion to pull 7c from the agenda.
The board’s administrator (Roosevelt) told the commission that the agenda posting had omitted the advertisement for the contract and recommended either scheduling the item for a regularly noticed meeting or holding a specially noticed meeting to meet any time-sensitive deadlines. The administrator recommended following the county’s procedure codified in the county rule referenced aloud as “20 21 dot 0 1 5” to determine whether a special meeting is permissible.
After discussion about deadlines and the board’s July schedule, a commissioner moved to approve the agenda with 7c pulled for a later date; the board approved the amended agenda by voice vote. Commissioners agreed to schedule 7c for a special meeting on July 8 at 5 p.m. so any time-sensitive action could be taken if proper advertisement is completed.
Members of the public who spoke during the meeting said they had discovered changes to the agenda late on social media and urged the board to ensure proper public notice. Citizen Marcella Blocker said the agenda had posted on Facebook late and that people who do not use social media had effectively been given no notice. Commissioners responded that special meetings may have shorter posting timelines but agreed to improve public notice and to make the ordinance governing advertisement available to the public.
The board’s action left other items on the special meeting agenda intact; commissioners voted to proceed with the amended agenda while pulling the contract item until properly advertised.
The board directed staff to post the July 8 notice with adequate public notice and to provide the attorney’s review of the county’s advertising ordinance for clarity to commissioners and the public ahead of the next meeting.
The contract item (7c) will return to the board only after the required advertisement and at least five days of advance distribution of meeting materials to commissioners, staff said.
