FLT Annual Meeting Matters a Secret?

This year Fish Lake Township (FLT) held its annual meeting on Tuesday, March 8th, as required by law. The annual meeting provides township residents the opportunity to participate in local government by voicing their concerns, proposing resolutions and collectively voting to give direction to the town board for the upcoming year.

Traditionally, most Fish Lake Township supervisors have discouraged or attempted to limit and control annual meeting attendance so that they could freely promote their own personal agendas. Township supervisors have also resisted voter attempts to move the township elections from March to coincide with the general elections in November because such a change would allow the annual March meeting to begin at an earlier time of day when more residents could attend. Currently, the annual meeting begins about 8:10 p.m. on a Tuesday, following the annual township elections held the same day. Township supervisors such as Bob Carter have even gone so far as to single out, chastise and bully annual meeting participants who did not support their personal agendas. Other supervisors have orchestrated dealings behind the scenes to insure their supporters were prepared and organized to attend and dominate the annual meeting.

This year, in an unusual fashion, the annual meeting did not conclude after “burning the midnight oil” the night of March 8th. The Fish Lake Township web site indicates that a re-convened annual meeting is scheduled on Tuesday, September 13th at 7:00 p.m. to “approve the budget for 2012.” Short of ever publishing an agenda prior to any annual meeting, there may be other unfinished business as well.

The annual township meeting is the only meeting whereby area residents can collectively vote and direct the town board each year. Annual township meeting matters should be available and accessible to anyone seeking such information. For a web site that boasts it was “created as a public service for the residents of Fish Lake Township,” why aren’t annual meeting minutes or agendas ever posted?