For the third time in two years, Oneida County Board supervisors refused to budge the Board's meeting hours from morning to afternoon or evening. At its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, the Board listened to the results of a survey conducted this summer that asked Oneida County citizens what their preferred time would be for holding Board and committee meetings.
UW-Extension Agent Tim Brown reported that of the 256 people who took the survey, nearly 60 percent stated they would be more likely to attend Board meetings that were held at 6:30 or 7 pm, and 50 percent said they would be more likely to attend Committee meetings held later in the day. 61 people said they would run for office if meetings were held in the evening. "If only one-third of those 61 proved to be sincere," Brown said, "that would mean an average of one more candidate per district to run for office." In the April election, nearly half of the supervisors ran unopposed on the ballot.
But the majority of supervisors weren't persuaded. In debating Supervisor Jack Sorensen's resolution to hold Board and Committee meetings no earlier than 4 pm, several, including Chair David Hintz, said it would be worth experimenting with evening meetings, to see if more citizens attended. Other supervisors emphasized the hardship of driving long distances at night, especially in winter, and potential conflicts with other evening meetings. Supervisor Billy Fried made the point that "if the system ain't broke, don't fix it." The resolution failed 13 to 7.
