Encouraged by turnout at town’s public meeting

All the chairs were full at the Town of Basin public meeting last week. The topic was the electrical rate increase.  While the subject wasn’t great, the number of people who attended was encouraging. 

Every council, fair board, commissioner, planning/zoning, etc. should fill up the chairs as well. It is so easy to complain but then not show. 

Those in attendance at this meeting asked hard questions, asked for additional information and left understanding the town’s position. They may not have liked the answers, but they were there to ask. 

The same could be true about the fair board meetings. The fair board members and commissioners received a lot of heat this year about fair — much of it unfounded and just plain not true.  Yet some of the biggest critics never came to a fair board or commissioner meeting to find out the full story, make suggestions or even offer to help. Those people that did come to the fair meetings made a difference. They helped make the fair happen. 

Commissioner meetings are during the day, so working people have a much harder time making those meetings. Still do the majority of the us even look at the agenda? 

Council, zoning, airport, water district, cemetery district, etc., meetings are typically evenings. It isn’t always easy to make those, but it sure is darn important. 

Bravo to the 20-plus people who came to the public meeting. Hope to see you at the next Basin council meeting on Oct. 8. You’re questions, your insight and your understanding of the issues helps our community.