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Residents urge Lincoln County to improve public hearings, meeting times and explain grants
Summary
Multiple residents told the commission during public comment that daytime meeting hours and unanswered budget questions undermine public participation; one resident also raised a safety concern at Lake Alvin Dam and another criticized use of tax dollars for community grants.
Several members of the public used the allotted comment period at the Sept. 11 meeting to press the Lincoln County Board of County Commissioners on meeting accessibility, budget transparency and safety.
"Public hearing ... should promote communication between the commission and the public," Linda Montgomery of Fairview said, urging that public hearings provide answers and improve trust after she said budget questions at a prior hearing went unanswered. She thanked Auditor Sherry Lund for an email response but said it "falls short of the intent of what a public hearing is."
Scott Montgomery of Furbia criticized daytime meeting hours and other procedural changes that he said prioritize convenience for officials over public participation. "It's time for function to have priority over convenience," he said, arguing for more opportunities for working-age residents to attend and more than three minutes to address the board.
Dale Palahmette raised a separate public-safety concern about a missing guard cable or guardrail at the Lake Alvin Dam spillway and asked whether the county planned to add protection; county staff agreed to follow up with Terry to determine the plan. Beth Coyle of Harrisburg urged caution about the commission awarding money to outside organizations, calling it an "overreach" and asking for clarification on what was approved in a prior meeting.
Commissioners acknowledged the concerns and staff agreed to follow up on the dam safety and to relay questions about budget hearings and grant awards to appropriate county officials for response.
