Anita Weston, Reporter
Rich Civic Times
A report of what occurred at the fireboard meeting for July
was not written this month. The Garden
City District Fire Board normally holds their monthly meeting the third
Thursday of each month. In the past, the
writer was also sent an agenda or could check at the post office to make sure
the meeting was being held. That didn’t
happen this month.
Actually the agenda has not been posted in the post office
for a number of months, and the agenda hasn’t be mailed ahead of time
either. The agenda must be picked up
when you get to the meeting.
Anyway, this reporter made her way to the fire board office
to attend the fireboard meeting at the usual time and on the third Thursday of
the month. When I arrived, there was no
one there. I checked the door. It was locked. I looked at the side of the doors because
sometimes the agenda is posted there.
The meeting had been held the previous evening—Wednesday
night. I felt badly that I was unable to
get fireboard information to you this month, especially when it is the time of
the summer when there is a much greater fire danger and decisions are generally
made concerning fireworks and other problems that require the services of the
fire department.
I will try extra hard to discover and attend the next
meeting. I hate to have to go directly
to the fire office several times until the agenda is posted there—at least I
think it may be hung there. Since it is
an open governmental meeting, it is supposed to be posted somewhere in a timely manner.
1 comment:
Anita,
I would like you to know that I have posted the agenda and schedule every month that I've been the Fire Chief at least three days prior to the meeting and I've always posted it at the post office, city office and fire department front door window as required by law.
I have not been derelict in my duty to inform the public (which you are a member of) as to the time, place, and agenda. You have never asked me to send you notification of the meeting date and agenda so I have not done so. It is not my responsibility to pick and choose which members of the public to single out for an invitation. A request must be made before I will consider it.
As a reporter for this blog, it is your responsibility to use facts when you make statements concerning the failure of the Fire Board to adequately post the agenda and schedule. It's your story however so you are entitled to say what you will, but I ask you to please get the facts straight and not dramatize the story to make it sound more sinister than it is.
The FACTS of the story are this. The Fire Board members were going to be unable to put a quorum together as required by law because all but one were going to attend their ward temple excursion. Also, Tiffany Wahlberg had her wedding anniversary that night so would likewise be unable to attend. The Chairmain of the Fire Board asked that I post the agenda with the changed schedule and I did so three days in advance and in the three public locations stated above. There was never at any time an attempt to mislead or keep anyone from attending the meeting. In fact, members of the public were there so must have obviously seen the posting.
If you would like to report on what was discussed at the meeting then you can get the July meeting minutes off of the GCFD website when they are made available or if you wish to do it sooner you may file a GRAMA request with Randall Knight along with the 10.00 dollar fee to access that information.
It is my sincere hope that in the future that if there is a concern with what is going on with the fire department meetings that you would get hold of me and tell me your concerns so that they can be addressed.
Best wishes
Mike Wahlberg
Garden City Fire District Chief
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