LTM Edit

Hoping for an outspoken public in 2012

If needed.

Those two words have sparked controversy among many residents worried that Loudoun County’s new Board of Supervisors is cutting public comment time with its new meeting schedule, which was implemented on Jan. 3.

Chairman Scott York (R-At Large) has reassured the public that the same amount of time will be allotted to the public for comments as last year.

However, we agree that there may be some cause for concern. And we’re not the only ones. Some supervisors have told us the details of the new meeting schedule were not discussed to their liking. They said they worry that one day residents will be turned away from speaking should the board as a whole decide the agenda is not big enough to warrant a meeting.
Again, those concerns rest on those two words – if needed.

According to a letter York sent the Loudoun Times-Mirror, there will be two meetings each month where time is reserved for public comment on any topic of the citizens’ choosing. Speaking time per individual will be adjusted depending on the number of individuals who wish to address the board and the length of the meeting agenda, just like the Board has been doing in the recent past.

It remains to be seen what will happen. With the Board facing several hot-button issues this year such as Metrorail and OpenBand, we hope, for the public’s sake, York is correct.