Vote To Approve Extension For Charter Committee
The Charter Committee has asked for an extension or more accurately a delay in the time frame they have for submitting the proposed Charter for the County.
It's my understanding that this request was made so that the committee could go into the county areas and hold community meetings to discuss and fine tune the Charter proposal before submitting it for a vote.
The alternative to this proposal is to buy advertising on TV, the radio and in the newspapers, make direct mailings and pamphlets available as directed by the state which requires the county to spend up to fifty thousand dollars on this procedure.
The Charter Committee has been very, very frugal with their expenses thus far and should be congratulated.
It seems to me that those interested in saving the county a bundle of money would be voting to alter the time frame for submission of the Charter. When I tried to address this subject in the Budget Committee some Commissioners such as commissioners Jackson and Campbell were simply not interested. It seems some may have already made up their minds that if they vote not to alter the time frame this will somehow defeat the Charter, it will not. The Charter will be voted on by the people the only question is how much delay and expense is the Legislative Body willing to subject the County too. I can only hope others will be more responsive and foresighted.
It's my understanding that this request was made so that the committee could go into the county areas and hold community meetings to discuss and fine tune the Charter proposal before submitting it for a vote.
The alternative to this proposal is to buy advertising on TV, the radio and in the newspapers, make direct mailings and pamphlets available as directed by the state which requires the county to spend up to fifty thousand dollars on this procedure.
The Charter Committee has been very, very frugal with their expenses thus far and should be congratulated.
It seems to me that those interested in saving the county a bundle of money would be voting to alter the time frame for submission of the Charter. When I tried to address this subject in the Budget Committee some Commissioners such as commissioners Jackson and Campbell were simply not interested. It seems some may have already made up their minds that if they vote not to alter the time frame this will somehow defeat the Charter, it will not. The Charter will be voted on by the people the only question is how much delay and expense is the Legislative Body willing to subject the County too. I can only hope others will be more responsive and foresighted.
posted by Allen Barrett | 2:43 PM
30 Comments:
I'm sorry but even I can't grasp the importance of a "charter", or what it good it will do the people of the county.
I'm not saying I'm against it. Only that I'm not sure exactly what the benefits of it are.
We all really need to understand this concept a little better.
Everyone should attend the meetings and see exactly what they do. A lot of time and energy spent on trying to bring some fairness and honesty to local government and elected officials. I attended several meetings and very impressed. Go on WKSR and read their info. I for one think the charter is great. And I am not a member of the charter.
I have a friend that said they have the Charter where he lives and it works. Had it for years and years. Still don't mean I know a thing about a charter.
From what I have read both in the newspaper and at WKSR the charter is a document that will return control of the Giles County government to the registered voters of the county. Also I have read the draft charter which is posted on the Pulaski Citizen web site, lower left corner. What I like about the charter is:
Government meetings will be held in the evenings and not at the convenience of the commissioners.
The School Superintendent will no longer have a death grip over the school board and will just be an employee. Citizens will have the opportunity to rate the superintendent’s performance.
The county executive will be separate from the commission. The executive will have veto authority over the commission; but the commission can override the veto. If this is good enough for the state government, why not us?
I also hear that the charter will limit the authority of the commission to raise property taxes whenever they feel like it. Now tax increases will have to have voter approval.
It seems that we should have a local government for and by the people not just a select few.
It's really obvious that Stoney and Tommy Campbell are afraid of the Charter. The Charter Commissioners are doing an excellent job in keeping down expense and trying to draw up a document that the people (who by the way ask that this Charter be written) will be proud of. A vote to not allow the Charter Commissoners a recess is a vote to not allow the Charter Commissioners to go out to their respective districts and get feedback from their constituents. To me, if a County Commissioners votes no then that County Commissioner is not wanting the people to have a say. Keep up with who votes no.
Perhaps Stoney and Tommy see that our county doesn't need a charter? Aren't they entitled to their opinion? I believe they voters will decide the issue anyhow.
6:38 If the voters will decide if we have a charter or not, why should Stoney and Tommy be against the Charter Commission having a recess. the more they come out against it the more people will be for it.
I know I hadn't thought much about voting for the charter, but if they are doing things like this makes me think we better go for the charter.
8:12
Take a look at the group who is behind this charter thing, and you may change your mind.
who is the group behind this charter thing?
8:01 am I suppose to think the group behind the charter is bad people just because you do?
am I suppose to think Stoney and tommy are bad just because someone on this blog said things about them?
9:11
No, they aren't bad people. They just want power, and they can't get an elected position.
If my memory serves me right, the last election we elected one person from each district for the county to vote on, to draw up the charter.
10:31 AM Sounds as if the people you are talking about already have 'power' if they were able to bring the opportunity of a charter to the citizens of Giles county and thats probably all the 'power' they are interested in. Have you thought of that?
I'd just like to know why are the "Elected" officials afraid of this? The Charter as I read it will not replace any of these positions. Looks to me like it is just a way to allow the people to have more say in things.
I don't think they fear the charter at all. But I do believe this is something that needs to be thoroughly investigated before it is voted on. It will be critical that voters make an informed decision about which way to vote. I personally do not see a need for it and will make it a point to investigate and share anything I find out about it, pro or con.
GTC syas to 7:24
You have had to opportunity to read the most current draft of the proposed charted. Just go to the Pulaski Citizen web site and look at the lower left hand corner and click on the .pdf file link.
I did and I have been reading this charter from the get go.
Please explain this. "The School Superintendent will no longer have a death grip over the school board and will just be an employee. Citizens will have the opportunity to rate the superintendent’s performance." The DIRECTOR of SCHOOLS has no death grip over the school board. He is their employee. How can he have a death grip over them? Why would citizens evaluate someone that they don't know and have no direct knowledge over what he does. That would be opinions only, and most of that gossip or hearsay. Now if those people were teachers are other employees that would be different. Citizens don't see directly what goes on and most people just hear gossip like what is on this blog. Some is true and some not.
Are not teachers and school system employees citizens of Giles County? I believe Yes
Do those teachers and school system employees currently have an oppoortunity to voice their opinion as to haow the school system is being run. I believe No.
Will those teachers and school system employees cast a vote? Undoubtedly Yes.
Will the average citizen, who as you correctly pointed out, cast a vote on a mtter that they know little to nothing about? I believe No
Currently it tkaes only 4 people to keep the School Director employed. He received a grade of 70 for his most recent annual performance; yet, he met or exceeded the Board's expectations. If a student received a 70, that kid would be having a parent/teacher conference.
The government is getting more and more intrusively involved in public education, and you can look for a serious shortage of teachers in the next few years. They (the government) will run off the good ones, and the new hires will leave as soon as they find out what is going on. I am extremely disappointed with Haslam, because he is in on this feeding frenzy against teachers. Who will teach our children when politicians run off the ones who can and will teach?
1:02:00 PM That's right most people hear gossip at coffee shopes or some where and never know if it's true.
4:10 Who will teach our children?
The people who care, who enjoy working less than 200 days a year, who enjoy having every holiday off, who enjoy the best benefits in the government, who enjoy a seven hour workday, who enjoy free meals, who enjoy making over 30,000 for those nine months.
There are many parents teaching their children now and doing a much better job than the schools.
Teachers are over paid and under worked prima donnas.
1:39
I challenge you to go vilunteer at a public school and see what that teacher does. You have NO idea what you are talking about.
When the good ones are gone and when the young ones go into other fields, I suspect Bill Haslam and his buddies will rethink what they have done.
You obvioulsy never personally knew any teachers.
1:39 What do you mean by free meals?
The teacher has to pay for their lunch at school. That's the reason most take their lunch, they can't afford to pay for their meals.
6:20 I wrote 1:39 and stick with what I wrote. I was a teacher for over twenty years and my mother was a teacher for over forty years. When she started there were no breaks in the school day she stayed with her kids during recess and lunch. During lunch she taught manners and during recess she umpired games and required everyone of her thirty seven students to take part. She ruled her class with discipline tempered with affection and attention. Not once did she have a student fail because they couldn't do the work because she took the time, often after school, to give extra instruction. I still sub on a regular basis but lost respect for the profession when I was approached by two union members who threatened that "I had better join the union and stop making them look bad". Looking bad resulted from me sitting with my students at lunch and being active with them during recess just as my mother did. I have never paid full price for a meal at school and depending on the school received many free meals.
There are still excellent teachers but many are over shadowed by the "bad" ones and the unreasonable regulations that have been endorsed or pushed by the unions and politicians with no understanding in teaching needs or backbone to provide those needs.
9:56 Your Mother was one of the good teachers. Not saying there isn't still good teachers out there, but unions and politics keep them from being the teachers of the old days.
If you never paid full price for your meal some Cafeteria Manager wasn't doing her job right. Teachers pay more than students for their meal because the government pays some on every student's meal, pays part of the reduced students meals and all of the student that qualifies for free meals.
I'm sure some teachers with several children could qualify for free meals, but there is no plan for that.
Do you really think teachers are over paid? If so why did you retire or quit teaching?
To March 21: The director may be the only employee, but I guarantee you he has some of the board members by the b---s. If you watch the school board meetings on Channel 3 you will see that Jackson runs the meetings. He makes up the agenda which he isn't suppose to do and puts on only what he knows will go unchallenged. So Jackson is the only employee who is his own boss.
the 6:25 post needs to be deleted due to nasty language. How about it? Oh, I forgot. People have already read it so why delete it.
What's nasty about B...S? That could stand for bush as there is no space between the . and s. Oh perfect thinks it is.
6:07
Then why wasn't it completely spelled out? Just wondering.
My guess is they didn't want to spell it out. Did they leave all out?
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