Urgent Election Info...Wrightsville Beach

In those years when there is no Presidential Election, we all suffer from low voter turnout!

Why don't we vote? 
Don't we think it matters?

Not voting can be disastrous; many Executive, Legislative and Judicial government positions are up for grabs, that can and will have an enormous impact on our daily lives going forward. 

Mayors, Aldermen, Councilmen... the people who govern our local communities are seeking our vote.... and our vote as singular and individual as it is, may make all the difference in the outcome... and for years to come.

Think about it, years to come! How we are taxed and what gets done with those tax dollars is what's at stake. Will it be spent strategically or perhaps frivolously? 


Critical Election at Hand in Wrightsville!

In Wrightsville Beach we do in fact have a rather critical election at hand. 

The current Board of Alderman in Wrightsville Beach have been predominately a 3 to 2 vote to stall that has stalled the strategic direction of WB time and again. It has been painful to attend the BOA Monthly meetings and observe the performance of Aldermen Collins, Mills and King.. they simply have refused to engage and address critical issues in our town. They have hidden behind their moronic moniker of being fiscal conservatives and thus has been a simpleton's dodge for let's avoid addressing the issues.

say it ain't so!

Let the future  Boards deal with this stuff... "we can look good just holding the world as is". But in a community that has in excess of $3 Billion in Real Estate Value and a year round population on 2500 that swells to 25,000 to 30,000 in season, and is in the path of potentially severe storms, we the citizens can not depend on "just holding things in place". We need active management of our strategic issues., planning for that rainy day and engagement with the regional, state and federal agencies and private partnerships. Whether you own property and live here, own property and visit here, rent here or just love to visit, the issues of Wrightsville Beach as a resort destination community loom before us. 

We now have up for election 2 Alderman seats.  Filling these seats with experience, demonstrated commitment and simple listening and engagement with the citizens is critical!

Good News!

We have 2 extremely qualified and tested candidates to take on those 2 Alderman seats.

Bill Sisson for WB Alderman on FB &
billsissonforalderman.blogspot .com

Bill Sisson our incumbent Alderman is running for re-election  

Re-Elect Lisa Weeks for Wrightsville Beach Alderman on FB &
lisa4alderman.com

Lisa Weeks a previous 
Alderman is seeking re-election.

       These two individuals Lisa Weeks and Bill Sisson are neighbors you will see around our town, engaged in speaking with citizen and our businesses in town before during and after election day, They are on the Loop, out on the water, at the beach and in committee meetings of other important organizations and government agencies, at beach sweeps and town fund raising events. Checkout their postings on Facebook etc. as noted above they have shared their views

unlike other candidates. 

Bill Sisson as been own most active Alderman, he has been Driving a regional coalition to delay the Biggert Waters Flood Insurance and he has succeeded. He has also been the Alderman focused on NC DOT projects and prioritization that effect WB . 

Lisa Weeks beyond her previous Alderman years 2 years ago has not rested for one moment. The Wrightsville Beach Foundation, Taste of Wrightsville  Beach, Masonboro Island, Hospice of Cape Fear have all had Lisa's experienced leadership hand at play. These 2 candidates are all about leadership.

 They spend their time connected to the citizens and the issues we face. Their Heart, Minds and Interests are focused on the community interests of the People of Wrightsville Beach.

Talk is cheap ... action speaks volumes!

           A comparison of Lisa and Bill to the other candidates (Andy Hall & Hank Miller for Alderman as well as the uncontested Mayor Candidate Bill Blair) will easily show that Lisa and Bill have "the" track record of open government, strategic thinking and engagement on Wrightsville issues and above all an absolute commitment of their time in seeing things through. 

          In the world of politics and government "talk is cheap". The track record of Lisa and Bill is clearly refreshing when it comes to our future needs.

I Voted

When we fail to vote we fail to push elections in the direction that we may want to see driving our future.

Please Vote.

Please vote for our 2 Alderman Candidates 

Lisa Weeks and Bill Sisson 

Please share this post with your friends who care about Wrightsville Beach.

 Thanks for reading, we encourage everyone to view the TOWB BOA Monthly Meetings ( Go to Livestream.com search Wrightsville Beach) to validate how local government has performed.

From the whole team at WrightsvilleView.blogspot.com we welcome your comments.

Noah, Liz, Ned, Mike and quite a few other who encourage us. 

Danger Zone ...Improving Downtown Section of Wrightsville

Waynick, Causeway, Lumina
By Wrightsville Beach Foundation

Finally, a pathway towards improving the Waynick/Causeway/Lumina intersection at Wrightsville Beach.

But, your help is needed! 

The Board of Alderman need our input on seeking Grant funding to make this all happen.

Anyone near this intersection ...

• walking,
• strollering 
• jogging 
• biking 
• dog walking 
• parking 
• skateboarding 
• eating an ice cream cone
• driving 
• or even daydreaming of a day the beach

      ..............has experienced some aspect of the Dangers it can present.

This spot is a hub for people both in and out of vehicles. It is central to restaurants and shops, It is the gateway for going to the beach, heading to the south end or starting a long slow look for a parking spot.


The Wrightsville Beach Town officials will hold a Public Hearing  at Town Hall  Thursday October 24, 2013 at 6 pm.

****PUBLIC HEARING***** TO RECEIVE INPUT FOR A 2014 SURFACE TRANSPORATION PROGRAM – DIRECT ATTRITUBALE (STP-DA) GRANT APPLICATION FOR INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS TO THE CAUSEWAY DRIVE/WAYNICK AVENUE INTERSECTION AND PEDESTRIAN FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS BETWEEN THIS INTERSECTION AND STONE STREET

The Town of Wrightsville Beach is considering applying for a STP-DA Grant for intersection improvements to the Causeway Drive/Waynick Avenue intersection and for pedestrian improvements between this intersection and Stone Street.  The Town is seeking input on this project.  Attached is a conceptual rendering of those improvements.  The grant application is for $292,000 and requires a match of 20% or $58,400.  The total cost of the project could approach $400,000 due to needed utility improvements in the area. 

Please plan to attend and give your input. Without citizen input, there is little hope for change. This intersection needs safety, logistic and aesthetic improvement. It needs our input and support.

Thanks for reading, hope to see you at the Public Hearing,

Liz

18 Seconds more ... could mean Life or Death

Changing a posted speed limit in a town or neighborhood can be a contentious matter. A real hot potato type issue. These days the emphasis always seems to be about faster, faster, faster! So when the public seeks to slow things down and reduce the speed it is worth noting... it is even worth listening.

On October 10, 2013  in Wrightsville Beach Town Hall Chambers, there was be a Public Hearing about the idea of reducing the speed limit along West Salisbury Street from 45 to 35 mph.

The citizens registered their opinion loud and clear,

"Reduce the Speed, Make it consistent, Make It Safe"!

The NC-DOT even recommended this change NOW! Not Later, Not after further studies, but NOW!

This is driven by safety. The statistics, that Vehicle Speed Kills pedestrians and bicyclists, are well established. AAA, NTSB, CDC and many other organizations all have had a hand in evaluating reducing the risk of Severe Injury and Death due to collisions with vehicles is the goal. Make it Safe!

The increased travel time due to this speed limit reduction is 18 to 20 seconds, that is a moot point.

The good news is the motion to reduce the speed was passed by the Board.

Hopefully, this change will make it easier and safer for pedestrians and bicyclists to use this corridor and to cross Salisbury Street.

BTW... it is NC State Law to stop in both directions for people in designated crosswalks. Just like we need to do for a stopped school bus.

Thanks for reading and please have a safe walk, jog or ride at Wrightsville Beach.

Liz

OOPS! ... note this important change to our last post

 With reference to our last post about the Biggert- Waters National Flood Insurance Reform Bill 2012

Storm Erosion

Please use this email contact for sending your flood insurance email to Senator Burr.

Christopher_Toppings@Burr.Senate.Gov

Sorry, my bad, Noah

Urgent Issue Regarding National Flood Insurance Rates

Urgent issue regarding Flood Insurance Rates and Real Estate Values

Dear Neighbors….Property Owners living in or near flood zones,

            This is to inform you about significant changes in the National Flood Insurance Program that will have grave economic consequences to all of us with property on or near any flood-able stream, creek, river, bay, sound or ocean etc. in the United States. This is an issue of national scope. .

 There is an important action that each of you (husbands, wives, adult children) need to take to protect your financial assets including your real estate. It is important to send a short email to our North Carolina Congressional Representatives (Senators Burr and Hagan, Congressman McIntyre), seeking their support to delay implementation of the Biggert Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act 2012.

I will briefly outline the history, consequences and the simple action steps that you should take.

History- In July 2012 the President signed a Transportation Bill (HR 4348) tucked quietly into the pages of that bill is a section known as Biggert Waters. This sub-section was virtually unread by our representatives prior to approval and is only now (over 12 months later) being put under the light of scrutiny, regarding the implications that will effect our homes across the nation..

Biggert Waters – This Bill was driven by the massive financial loses in the National Flood Insurance Program experienced from Hurricanes Katrina and Super Storm Sandy. The goal is to make the program financially solvent by immediately canceling or reducing subsidies of the flood insurance premium rates. Rates will immediately jump to be on full risk premium basis for business properties, non-primary residence or upon sale of a home. Primary Residence currently insured will have a 20% jump each year until the full risk premium is reached (estimated to take 4 -5 years).

Consequences – While the goal of financial solvency is noble the implementation, which begins this coming October, will have significant consequences...our insurance premiums will jump. The amount of increase, will vary with the location of your home to the water, the amount of open water your home faces (susceptibility to wave action), the elevation above sea level and the height of your first floor.

Estimates are that some rates could be in the range of $10,000 to 30,000 per year.

This will have, not only a direct impact on our pocket books but also effect real estate values until this turmoil stabilizes in perhaps 5+ years.

Clearly the consequences of this Bill were never understood and now time is of the essence to take action. Only Congress can stop of delay this situation.

Further Biggert Waters Information- On the Town of Wrightsville Beach website TOWB.ORG at the lower right corner (homepage) you can find some presentation materials that show some examples of rate estimates and specific houses here in Wrightsville.

Actions: Please send an email to our Federal Representatives requesting a delay in the implementation of Biggert Waters until the economic implications are more clearly understood.

Congressman McIntyre - Andrew.Simpson@mail.house.gov
Senator Hagan - andrew_devlin@hagan.senate.gov
Senator Burr - matthew_dockham@Burr.senate.gov

*****Sample Text for email****: follows

Dear Senator (Burr) :

I am writing to ask for your help in mitigating the negative economic impacts The Biggert-Waters amendment (National Flood Insurance Program) to the 2012 Surface Transportation Bill will cause in my town.

By removing grandfathering provisions for existing policy holders who built their homes according to the State Building Codes in effect at the time of construction the amendment needlessly penalizes our citizens for following the law.  Furthermore by lowering the substantial improvement threshold from the historical limit of 50% to 30% those who try to meet current standards are also penalized.

All businesses are excluded from the program and even pre-FIRM, primary dwellings are not exempt from the effects of this bill.  It still allows base rates for risk classes to increase up to 20% per year.  If new flood risk maps change the risk class of a dwelling this increase would be further exacerbated.

This legislation would have a negative effect on land values, businesses, home prices and construction.

I urge you to support legislation to retain the Flood Insurance Program but to at least delay implementing the Biggert-Waters provisions until a thorough evaluation of the economic effects of its impact can be evaluated and to further modify its requirements to reduce these negative effects.

Yours truly,

John Q. Public

XX North Lumina Street,, Wrightsville Beach, NC

Thanks for reading and taking action on this matter, our personal resources and our community’s real estate value is at stake.

And a special thanks to Wrightsville Beach Alderman Bill Sisson who has been an important leader in this effort across the Town of Wrightsville Beach and across New Hanover County.

Respectfully,

Noah Bridges

A Message from the Mayor of Wrightsville Beach

Memories of Wrightsville past

The link below will take you to the Town of Wrightsville Beach Website. Specifically it takes you to the Mayor's page where he has posted a message about 2012 and some insights looking at 2013.

Also note there are 3 tabs at the bottom of his page, worth taking a look at, especially the one noting and thanking the numerous volunteers who help build our quality of life here.

http://www.towb.org/Board/MayorsPage/tabid/185/Default.aspx

Thanks for reading.   Noah

Wrightsville Beach Bridge Traffic a key issue online ...at the Chat!

For some WB citizens the premier event for this past  Thursday evening  was the online "Chat with the Chief". 

For an hour and fifteen minutes the Chief chaired a lively interaction between meeting participants both in the room and in cyberspace. 

Using the new Livestream system setup in Town Hall Chanbers, the Chief gave a short presentation covering the status of plans to improve traffic flow headed both on an off the island. An especially contentious issue raised by attendees and acknowledged by Chief House are those drivers who speed up the right hand lane and then cut into the line of waiting traffic. Clearly a road rage inducing behavior given the frustrations building over the traffic snarl that's bee with us for many months now. Great weekend weather has brought out the best of us out physically and at times the worst of us mentally. 

Traffic Cones

WBPD, working with Wilmington & NH County, Plans call for cutting down the right lane, with traffic cones, as well as officers directing traffic on both side of the bridge. There are also plans to adjust the traffic light sequence along Eastwood  road as may be needed. It must be underscored that State roads 76 & 74 are just that State roads and that means NCDOT... they are also in charge of the bridge project which is a root cause of the traffic.

The Chief took a range of question from the room and as well from email, phone-in and text-in... 

"pretty cool how this cyber- technology has quickly taken hold in the Town of Wrightsville Beach" 

Questions, many all to familiar, ranged from late night noise, littering and obnoxious behavior, to speeding, bicycling issues, using 911 and illegal drug issues and trespassing..

My personal opinion: (I was a Livestream & email participant)

• Chief Dan House, once again, proved his commitment to communicating and being accessible to the community. This brief quarterly opportunity, through the "Chat" format, is an easy and productive way to gain understanding and to have a direct impact on WBPD focus. Fell free to give your feedback directly to him dhouse@towb.org

• The use of the new electronic tools of video streaming and phone-in/text-in/email... while they may need a little tweaking, will greatly expand the possibilities of engagement across our community. (The Chief acknowledged afterwards offline that they would be looking at improvements in audio especially). 

Finally: If you need to contact the WBPD, even for a non-emergence complaint, use 911 ... if it's not an emergency... say "This is not an emergency" the dispatcher will determine if they can take the call at that moment or not. That's how the system for Wrightsville Beach is designed to work.

Till next time,thanks for reading.  Noah

A chat worth having...Chief Dan House TOWB PD

http://new.livestream.com/accounts/1650123/events/1828470(highlight , right click and "Go to")

Community+Dialogue+Technology = Quality of Life

Even before he joined the Town of Wrightsville Beach as Police Chief, Dan House was engaged in outreach to the community.  As part of the interview process to get the job, he along with the other finalist candidate, met in an open public forum with residents interested in knowing more about their future Chief.


Something quite obvious at that meeting and continuing since has been his ease and desire to speak with the people. He has been conducting quarterly "Chats with the Chief" at Town Hall, since he came on board in July 2011. He has, as well, been out and about town regularly meeting with citizens.

"I prefer not to have people come to see me but rather I go see them. If I can see, from their deck what they are dealing with I am that much wiser and able to affect solutions".  Chief Dan House

Outreach is a critical way of operating, in order to be properly in touch with issues, whether for the local citizens, public at large, our merchants, restaurant, taxis and vacationers.

What gets measured gets done
 The Department's Quarterly Reports as well as the testimony at the Public Town Meeting, including the PD Strategic Plan will attest to a positive change in our local law enforcement. The focus, the tools and the motivation of the team and officer demeanor have all been under a change management whirlwind, under Chief House's leadership. From bike patrol, to beach patrol, to open patrol car windows, to summer uniforms and police officer engagement and skills assessment the TOWB PD are on a trajectory to stepping up to best in class. Even the simple things like consolidating intra-department communications and aligning crime statistics with patrol strategies and tactics has achieved important results. Those results relate directly to improved Quality of Life.

What's hot and what's not
In no small way, change like this comes because of the input and support of the citizens. This is where we citizens enter the picture, through our willingness to "Chat with the Chief". These chats have proved a good forum to gain understanding, raise and discuss issues and needs as well as build rapport. It also helps to clarify and set priorities in a community of 2,500 and can swell to estimates of 35,000 plus in season and holiday weekends..

(Not to mention when the only bridge access to the island is down to one lane!... or the local elementary school went from one campus to two due to overcrowding and is now in the shadow of the Sandy Hook, CT deaths presents an increased security challenge or the latest drug problem "bath salts" and the bizarre behaviors that come with it's arrival here at the beach). 

It can be helpful to understand what's hot and what's not when it comes to defining the goals and prioritizing an officer's time.

Some good workable solutions often come from the citizens directly.

The Chief includes a drive down the beach through and about town as part of his daily commute to work.

"I get to see first hand the condition of the beach and town, I get to see any specific   issues reported over night and I find people wave me down and approach me on their beach walk to chat. Citizens seem to appreciate the informality of the contact versus coming to the police department. It is a great opportunity". Chief Dan House

Beyond the engagement of the local citizens, the Chief has explicitly reached out to local merchants, most specifically the beach bars and restaurants and taxi providers to address some nagging issues.  The result was common understanding, setting expectations and implementable plans. Designated taxi stands with clear rules regarding pick-up and drop-off , police presence/engagement at beach bars and patrol/ enforcement on the beach have come under focus.

"We now meet with the local merchants before the season starts and before each of the big weekends to share expectations and plans, and of course traffic due to ongoing bridge construction is a critical issue". Chief Dan House

Some pre-thoughts and tips on the upcoming Livestream Chat 

A few helpful hints to connect with http://new.livestream.com/accounts/1650123/events/1828470
(highlight, right click, select "GoTo"

• go to the above link, you will need to sign-up with Livestream (It Is Free!). This is easy and you only need to have your email address or your facebook account
• Once signed up you can designate that you wish to follow Wrightsville Beach streaming events. This will result in your receiving notices of upcoming TOWB broadcasts. 

(note: you can also view the archived video stream after the original streaming date; currently there is a BOA Mtg and the Lanier Parking/BOA Workshop both from  Jan 2013)

• Specifically regarding the Live stream "Chat with the Chief" ,,,generally a video streaming is a one way communication outward to the audience, but this is supposed to be a Chat! So to make this truly a chat there are three important ingredients... please choose one

1. show up at at Town Hall at 6:00 pm January 31, 2013 prepared to converse with the Chief (reserved seating is not available) or

2. Send the Chief an email with your comment/ questions in advance dhouse@towb.org  or

3. Phone-in to the Chief during the meeting with your questions or comments      
910-622-8594

(note: this last point about phoning in is still being worked on, if it is available, the Chief will announce the Phone-in number is ready to go during the live meeting)

So there we have it, fellow citizens, another step forward to assist us in building and maintaining our engagement in local government... and that has a direct impact on our Quality of Life.

Finally I would like to acknowledge and thank the following:

• the great gift from our fellow citizen Bill Columbus in donating the video equipment and streaming service to TOWB
• the efforts of Neal Briggi and the Henderson Street League for the Environment and Responsible Government and the many other citizens for advocating for video streaming 
• the demonstrated commitment of Chief Dan House to proactively engage with  the community.

Happy viewing and chatting.

Thanks for Reading, your comments are welcome.. Noah

Anatomy 103 the Nooks & Crannies of Public Info for town meetings

Kowabunga..Dude!

Surfing ... TOWB.org

      Why use the website? There are many reasons, but it all boils down to accessing important TOWB information:

Editorial Comment: (comment? ha ha.. do we have a comment, that's a laugh, but seriously, we really do have our opinions here at WrightsvilleView and here is one of them)

As this post goes off to the internet we are not aware of any plans to upgrade the Town of Wrightsville Beach website aka TOWB.org, It is unfortunate that despite Town staff requests for support, the budget funding for upgrades of hardware, software, archiving, transferal of legacy systems and website design were all cut by a 3 to 2 vote last June....By comparison to other towns and small cities, even mom & pop businesses the TOWB site is far outdated and not providing effective enough service to the citizens or the businesses of Wrightsville Beach. Search capability, transactional capability, form filing, ease of use are all lacking in functional quality. This is a strategic issue, there are staff efficiencies among many other benefits to be gained.

        Be that as it may, we hereby will outline how to use the website. We hope you will use it in preparing to get involved in agenda issues  or just to register your view at future Town meetings or directly to town officials..

         Important TOWB information to be accessed: 

• Contact information for Elected Officials and Town Staff
• Schedule for various town meetings (Alderman, Planning, Adjustment, Parks & Rec Advisory, Historic Preservation, Marketing Advisory etc.)
• Latest Board of Alderman Meeting Agenda and also the Meeting Preparation Packet (all the relevant documents)
• Past Board of Alderman Town Meeting Minutes 

Note:  We have more than a "pet peeve" regarding Meeting Minutes....typically the publication on the website of BOA Approved Meeting Minutes  lags by 3 or more months. This makes it near impossible as a citizen to follow a particular issue. This reflects a failure of our elected officials to place a priority on informing the citizens.

• Research Town & State Ordinances (building codes, noise and pet rules, event permits and much more)
• Information about the Beach (Swim Advisories, Weather Link, Tide Table Link, Park Ranger, Surf zones, Beach Rules)

       Below is the Home Page. We have noted the Key Categories section on the upper left side. This where you should start your journey to drill down for more information. It is unfortunate that the right hand column is basically stagnant old info.

TOWB.org "Home Page"

       As a priority scroll through Key Categories and you can readily see what's available. "Board" "Departments" "Staff Listings" "Forms" are probably to most valuable.

The "Board" drop down menu

       Under " Board" you can find out about each member, upcoming meeting agenda and preparation packet (usually the Monday prior), past minutes (usually 3 months lagging)
Town Meeting Nov 8, 2012 Meeting Info Packet 71 Pages... here is the link below.


Packet Find Under "Board"
Sorry link not functio!ning another reason to upgrade TOWB.org!
http://towb.org/LinkClick.aspxfileticket=2Cn9PUrHOx4%3d&tabid=163
Beach Rules Brochure Find under "Beach Info"
http://towb.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=mYnzXchdU8Q%3d&tabid=182
Marine Water Quality/ Swim Advisories find under "Beach Info"
http://xapps.enr.state.nc.us/eh/beaches/notification.do

Note Shortcut: Contact Ginger Reid (greid@towb.org and request to be added to the "sunshine list". She will send you the TOWB BOA Agenda about a week before!

Marine water sample quality results

Beach Rules Brochure

Report Storm water Violations 
910-524-2102



       This has been a broad brush tour of TOWB.org, hopefully will spend some time digging in to learn more about what's going on and what is important regarding your quality of life in Wrightsville Beachin

Find the full TOWB Contact List under "Staff Listing"

Mayor and Board of Aldermen
David Cignotti, Mayor	910-256-5817	dcignotti@towb.org
Susan Collins, Mayor Pro Tem	910-256-5072	scollins@towb.org
Bill Sisson, Alderman	910-256-1898	bsisson@towb.org
Elizabeth King, Alderman	910-256-2260	eking@towb.org
Darryl Mills, Alderman	910-228-8552	dmills@towb.org

Important Alert:

       This coming Thursday Dec 13, 2012 at 6 pm is the next TOWB Board of Alderman Meeting. Key items on the agenda are Implementation of the Smoking Ban and Implementation of Video Streaming.  Both items have been contentious issues in the past your input to the board concerning implementation by simple email is very important.

       Thanks for reading please let us have your comments.    Noah

Anatomy (102) The Nuts & Bolts of a Town Meeting

Anatomy 102

Let's take a look at the basic structure of a Town Meeting in Wrightsville Beach (aka the Nuts & Bolts)

The whole purpose of a Town Meeting is the timely public conduct of the local government law making and strategic decisions for the municipality. PUBLIC... as in "out in full view" of the citizens not behind the scenes, in the hallways, or at the coffee shop. (in a future posting we will show you how to access all this public town info)

 The TOWB Board of Alderman (aka Town Meeting) is scheduled once per month, held on the 2nd Thursday of the month at 6:00 pm in Town Hall Chambers.  There is the the option, to call interim meetings as situations (urgent decisions) may dictate.  There are currently 32 meetings listed on the Official Public Notice for 2012 of which 12 are the regular monthly Jan - Dec 2012).

YIKES!
Doing Homework for a Town Meeting

That's a pretty busy schedule for Alderman, plus we need to factor in preparation time and external engagement and participation with Citizens, Town Staff and  other community, county  and state panels, boards committees..etc.

Like any meeting it starts with the objective(s).What needs to be addressed by the elected officials? What is the desired result? The needs could range from providing direction to Town staff,  hearing public comment on key issues, budget matters, decisions to renew contracts, hiring, approving zoning, preparing for hurricanes, discussing reports from staff or even dealing with NCDOT repair of the draw bridge...and the traffic on a big weekend.  Over the course of the Town's fiscal year the annual Budget will take on a large focus (Jan to June) and extra meetings will be held to focus on just that (aka Budget Workshops). The agenda for each meeting will be setup based on the objectives set.

Generally the regular monthly meetings have a fairly standard format with varying intensity and time allocated on particular  items as needed.

A Standard Agenda (as partially seen here) will have 8 categories.

• Cat 1 through 3 are... Call to Order, Pledge of Allegiance, Invocation (non-denominational prayer)
• Cat 4... Public Comment (could be you or I notifying in advance the Town Clerk, Silvia Holleman (910-256-7900 or sholleman@towb.org) that you want to speak at the meeting about issue X, Y and/or Z) The Mayor will make an introduction in the meeting and allow 3 - 5 minutes for each scheduled speaker to talk about their issue(s). Often this time is used by citizens to request that something be addressed or looked into or even propose a Public Hearing (ref. Cat 6). However there is no obligation of the Board to take any actions, including asking any clarifying questions of the speaker.
• Cat 5 ... Consent Agenda (this can be a long list of fairly standard type operational issues that are voted for approval as an entire group...such as approval of the minutes from past meetings, acknowledgement of previously approved events, approval of certain newly proposed events, approval to proceed with specific administrative actions (adoption of state mandated record retention or writing off bad checks), officially canceling or rescheduling  future meetings of various town committees (when requested), set public hearing dates...etc. The point is this can be routine but, if a Board member has a question or issue on a specific item they can pull it out from the common vote approval of the list.  Any pulled items can they be separately questioned, answered, discussed and voted individually. 
•  Cat 6 ... Public Hearing (If there is to be a Public Hearing, it will have been agreed at a previous Town meeting and there will have been multiple public notifications in the news paper. This enables interested parties "for or against" a particular issue to assemble and be heard. The goal of the PH is to air the complexity of issues and public sentiment... to better inform our elected officials. You can experience a broad swath of arguments to consider in weighing the  pros, cons consequences and costs  of a potential decision by our officials. The Mayor will usually manage the logistics and timing of the public input, especially when many citizens have come to speak. 

Hint: ..Get there early to get a seat or you may end up participating 

from the patio outside

Patrick Henry
"Wows the room"

Both Catagories 4 and 6 can be quite informative and entertaining. Imagine the raw verbal passion emoting the grassroots wisdom from the mouths of your fellow citizens/ comrades in arms

     Richmond Virginia: March 23, 1775 In wrapping up

     his public comments to the 2^nd Virginia Convention

     Patrick Henry stilled the air from corner to corner

     with his closing words…

    ”I know not what course others may take; 

     but as for me,…
    Give me liberty or give me death!”

A short Patrick Henry History Lesson can be found at this link
http://www.history.org/almanack/life/politics/giveme.cfm

Some Topic examples of past Public Hearings in Wrightsville Beach are:

1. Ban smoking on the Beach
2. Adoption of the Unified Development Ordinances (aka UDO - basically about the building codes & zoming)
3. Consideration of parking space exemptions or increased open patio space for a local bar/ restaurant
4. Zoning change requests
5. Comprehensive parking plan changes
6. The annual Budget

I'll have mine "well done please"
Regular Agenda

• Cat 7 ...Regular Agenda ...Aside from a Public Hearing this is the.. Meat & Potatoes of the meeting and the process of government. This is the item by item component where each piece is usually looking for voting decision or critical discussion of an issue that may lead to a Public Hearing or a future agenda vote. Often there will be a briefing by staff on research they have performed or a proposal they have prepared. There can be specific zoning/ variance requests brought forward by individuals. Perhaps the Police Chief is seeking funding to acquire a Live Scan Finger Print System or Personal Body Cameras for Police Officers or maybe the issue is reducing the speed limit on Salisbury Street for 1/8 mile to protect lives of bikers.

It is important that citizens know in advance what is on the agenda and what is coming up for a vote... Don't be a day late trying to give your input to our elected officials after the vote has taken place. It is very tough to unscramble an egg! 

....and now finally the last piece

• Cat 8 ...Other Items and Reports (This is where the Mayor, all Board members, Town Attorney, Town Clerk have a chance to share input to one another about what they see as upcoming issues for future agendas. As Board members also sit/ participate on other boards and committees in the town as well as county etc. this is a place where they bring in such information from far and wide (i.e. county transportation plans, beach renourishment, utilities...waste, water, power) Importantly the Town Manager generally gives a healthy dose of what's coming up. 

This is a great opportunity to gain a stronger understanding of issues driving the government activities. It is also a great opportunity to see, judge and build your impression of how well each member of the Board is working beyond just the town meeting in our behalf.

Caution: ...Don't be surprised if some Board Members seem to never have much of anything to contribute here. We see this segment of the meeting as one of the important indicators of individual Alderman performance which will be covered thoroughly in a future blog post.

Thanks for reading we hadn't expected it to be such a long post, but we hope you have learned something of value that may directly effect your future quality of life in Wrightsville Beach.

Please share this post with friends and family... basically anyone who has skin in the game regarding this town and of course feel free to comment below.

I like my nooks & crannies toasted, thanks

Next post up will be about, accessing the TOWB website and all the nook & crannies of public info!.


Reminder: Next TOWB BOA Meeting ia Dec. 13, 2012 6 pm... stop in and participate!

Noah & Liz

Anatomy of a Town Meeting (101)

       For arguments sake let's call this Anatomy 101, simply because we believe  at Wrightsville View blog that we will be covering our local Town Meetings many more times in the future.

High Impact Town Meeting...Your Government at work

       It dawns on us, that many readers may not have experienced a town meeting, either in person or by way of video broadcast or streaming on the internet.

       With the recent acceptance of  the donation of video equipment from local citizen Bill Columbus, the Town of Wrightsville Beach will join the 21st Century and numerous other municipalities in providing broader public access to government proceedings. This will enable our civic participation to become much easier.

       A key starting point is to understand how important your active input to our elected officials really is. Having attended as well as watched a continuum of town meetings it has become obvious that some elected officials skate on very thin ice. By that we mean, they have very little basis for what position they take, what information, arguments or data they reflect upon and consequently how they vote.

When operating like that, they simply are not being accountable to the citizens nor the complexity of the issues at hand.

Weigh in with your opinion to our elected officials

       Imagine a town government where the majority of it's citizens and neighboring communities are able to see and hear the proceedings on particular issues of interest. Whether you live here or not...Do you care about parking, traffic, litter, recycling, noise, boat speed, zoning, taxes, beach renourishment, biking, running, walking-the-loop, coliform in the bay or drinking water? That would become a well informed and active base of citizens and would consequently drive an informed and responsible government. Wow!

         A good discussion, weighing of the pros and cons and finding the middle ground across the group of officials in a town meeting can give a citizen a proud feeling that their government is alive and well and working in their behalf.

       Consider the alternative...elected officials come to a meeting unprepared, with their mind made up! Perhaps their close group of friends have told them they "don't want this" or "do want that"...but without the benefit of a broader open discussion of the issues. Ouch!

       As citizens, who have elected these government officials, we have the right to know fully why they vote "yea or nay". What pros and cons they have considered? What are the options? What are their expectations for future impact and what will success look like? What will it cost in time and money? What is the priority. How far reaching and sustainably are they thinking?

       It has become very easy for elected officials to ignore the wishes of the majority of citizens.  Simply observe how they answer a question...Do they side step or divert.. obfuscate? We have numerous examples right here in Wrightsville Beach of 3 to 2 Board of Alderman decisions that have halted progress on addressing important strategic as well as quality of life issues around our town. Of course the recent referendum to Ban Smoking on the Beach is a colossal example of a fed up citizenry taking on a town government composed of a few too many "out-of-touch" Alderman.

Please SLOW down

       We'll leave you here with a short list of past issues derailed by the 3 to 2 voting.

• Failure to adopt a smoking ban (took 3 years and a citizen's petition driven referendum to overturn the 3 to 2 vote)
• Failure to reduce the speed limit to 35 MPH on Salisbury Street (aka NASCAR Blvd)..just like on Causeway
• Failure to join the NHC Emergency Operations Center (Disaster Management) we are a Billion Dollars of real estate at WB
• Failure to effectively fund Capital Reserves for future equipment needs (utilization of low cost financing)
• Reversal and Stripping of previous funding for video streaming of town meetings. 
• Failure to adopt a strategic agenda and follow it. (Traffic, Bike Lanes, Recycling, we face significant challenges)
• Wasted numerous staff hours on rezoning of town property at fringe of salt marsh
• Failure to provide reasonable pay increases to town staff after multiple years of budget requests.  ("they are lucky to have a job...!!!"  are you kidding? did you really say that?)  

Nuts & Bolts  :-)

Next time we plan to cover more "nuts & bolts"  of the town meeting. We will also be putting forward a way to evaluate our elected officials and ways to communicate with our government officials.

Thanks for reading, get active, stay tuned for more..

Noah.. Oh, and please comment on our blogs.