Shane Saum
New member
Welcome to the City of Lago Vista Council Message Board!
I am excited to see this initiative launch. I encourage my fellow council members to utilize this tool to help us work more closely to further good public policy for Lago Vista. As a reminder, this online message board allows us to discuss policy and agenda items that we otherwise could not discuss outside of a council meeting. Having more time to discuss these items can lead to better discourse, more collaboration on policy, and hopefully shorter meetings, as we will have had the opportunity to share our thoughts and opinions on agenda items prior to the meeting. This tool will only be successful if we all use it, so let's work together to increase our transparency with the citizens as we work on good public policy for Lago Vista.
As a refresher of the discussion when we passed this message board back in March, here are my talking points from that meeting:
"In 2013, the Texas Legislature amended the Texas Open Meetings Act to allow 'Online Discussion Boards' for officials to transparently discuss public business/public policy without violating the act. These online boards must be at the front of city websites and postings must remain public for at least 30 days. Multiple cities and counties utilize this transparency tool at minimal to no cost or increased effort for city staff.
The exchange of ideas is how good public policy is created. Currently, council members may be fearful of Open Meetings Act violations, which could lead to a resistance to sharing their opinions on policy with one another until council meetings, where they must attempt to introduce, educate, and convince with limited time. The result is a rushed and inferior public policy product.
An online discussion board would allow a council member to pitch their idea well before it is on an agenda or to discuss information in a packet prior to the council meeting and allow the public to monitor the discussions. Members can engage in discussions, research, and education prior to a council meeting, possibly creating more efficient council meetings and better public policy. It also allows council members to put their policy opinions in the public realm and provide more transparency to the public."
I am excited to see this initiative launch. I encourage my fellow council members to utilize this tool to help us work more closely to further good public policy for Lago Vista. As a reminder, this online message board allows us to discuss policy and agenda items that we otherwise could not discuss outside of a council meeting. Having more time to discuss these items can lead to better discourse, more collaboration on policy, and hopefully shorter meetings, as we will have had the opportunity to share our thoughts and opinions on agenda items prior to the meeting. This tool will only be successful if we all use it, so let's work together to increase our transparency with the citizens as we work on good public policy for Lago Vista.
As a refresher of the discussion when we passed this message board back in March, here are my talking points from that meeting:
"In 2013, the Texas Legislature amended the Texas Open Meetings Act to allow 'Online Discussion Boards' for officials to transparently discuss public business/public policy without violating the act. These online boards must be at the front of city websites and postings must remain public for at least 30 days. Multiple cities and counties utilize this transparency tool at minimal to no cost or increased effort for city staff.
The exchange of ideas is how good public policy is created. Currently, council members may be fearful of Open Meetings Act violations, which could lead to a resistance to sharing their opinions on policy with one another until council meetings, where they must attempt to introduce, educate, and convince with limited time. The result is a rushed and inferior public policy product.
An online discussion board would allow a council member to pitch their idea well before it is on an agenda or to discuss information in a packet prior to the council meeting and allow the public to monitor the discussions. Members can engage in discussions, research, and education prior to a council meeting, possibly creating more efficient council meetings and better public policy. It also allows council members to put their policy opinions in the public realm and provide more transparency to the public."
