Community Involvement in Local Government

By Ken Bryant

Resident apathy is an issue in most local governments. Symmes Township works hard to get residents involved.

Symmes Township has standing committees on Zoning, Board of Zoning Appeals, and Finance.

All expiring terms on standing committees are announced in open meetings and requests for resumes are published in the newspapers. Incumbents are encouraged to apply for re-appointment but interviews are held for each position and incumbents are not automatically selected.

A new AD HOC Park Expansion Committee was formed to help the Trustees guide the future development of the Rozzi Land acquisition. Thirteen residents applied for the open committee positions and all were selected to provide a wide variety of viewpoints for the development. The theme is + "All Taxpayers are paying for it , so there should be something in it for everyone."

"Hearing from residents" is offered twice during each regularly scheduled Trustee meeting and residents are encouraged to bring up anything they need to have discussed. Hearing from residents is now treated as a right, not a privilege.

I am evaluating Montgomery, Ohio's Leadership Academy for ways to apply a similar concept to Symmes Township.