It was June 21st, my sister’s birthday, when Christiansburg Town Council held a meeting. Along with multiple other items on that agenda, there was a request from the Christiansburg Civic League for some help offsetting some unexpected expenses that were incurred at their Train Day event held in Cambria.
Citizen Participation
Open Government Focus in Latest Issue of The Community Planner
The Community Planner is a quarterly journal on Planning. What makes it unique is that it is written to provide information to citizens as well as professionals. It is produced on a CD rather than in print because along with the 60 or so pages of each journal, there are also additional features added....
Christiansburg and Capital Improvements Program. Meeting at last?
Back on May 13, 2009, I posted this blog article: Capital Improvement Plan? Christiansburg? Will it comply with State law? (worth reviewing this article to see what the process is about) Recent discussions at Town Council Meetings indicate that Christiansburg may, at last, be moving in the direction of developing a Capital Improvement Program...
Christiansburg Budget – Is an end in sight?
There have been several meetings concerning the budget for the Town Christiansburg. While seeming to be a negotiation process, there remains certain issues on which the Town Council appears to be split. (Hope the Mayor has his “tie-breaker” out and ready. Are you ready for a repeat of last year’s budget woes?
Gov.101: Budget Process is the Hot Topic
PUBLIC INVITED – Christiansburg Budget Process Tuesday night, May 10th, 2011 @ 6:30pm, the Government 101 Series co-sponsored by the Christiansburg Library & Civic League will have Christiansburg’s Chief Financial Officer, Valerie Tweedie present to discuss how the budget process works and to answer questions. It should be an interesting evening.
Another FOIA Request Prompted by the Christiansburg Planning Commission: Conflict of Interest and FOIA Training
(Video of Planning Commission FOIA and Conflict of Interest Meeting available now.) I made another FOIA request the other day and am now working on setting up what I received in a format that citizens can use. It is a database of CUPs (Conditional Use Permits) for the Town of Christiansburg. It is taking...
Conditional Use Permit: Casting a Big Shadow on Sunlight
I recently opened up the Town Council Agenda Packet for the April 5, Christiansburg Town Council Meeting. As I was browsing and thinking what a good thing it was to see this quality of information out to citizens, I suddenly found myself entering the Twilight Zone!
“The Community Planner” a Toolbox for Citizens and Governments
Introducing The Community Planner Whether you are a planning professional, an elected or appointed official, or a citizen who wants to have more information and be an active participant in your government, The Community Planner has something to offer you. It is provided on a CD-Rom so there is plenty of room for templates,...
A Farmer’s Market in Christiansburg…long time coming!
There is quite the buzz going on about a Farmer’s Market in Christiansburg. Several different sources of information are available and I have included links to those sources here. If you are interested in being a vendor, the contact information in those sources should provide you with all the information you need to get...
“Plain Text” shouldn’t be optional on public documents!
Consider this a public service announcement: Virginia Coalition for Open Government holds FOIA workshops in Roanoke! I have been reading documents related to government (particularly those subject to FOIA) for some time now. Without realizing it, I was staring at what might well be the biggest problem with such documents and true transparency. Quite...
