Commissioners will take some of their work sessions to city communities in an effort to make government more effective.
By LORRI HELFAND
Published December 18, 2003
LARGO - If people don't come to the Largo City Commission, the commission will come to them.
In less than a month, city leaders will stop by Frontier Elementary School to chat, get a pulse on community concerns and hash out city business.
The visit marks the debut of the commission's new practice of conducting work sessions outside City Hall.
Every other Tuesday, the commission schedules sessions to talk about city business without formal votes. The public is welcome. But, usually, only a handful of folks stop by.
To boost community involvement, the mayor and commission plan to visit different Largo neighborhoods every few months.
"We're trying to get people to be more familiar with their community, and the way we hope to do that is by offering them more opportunities to see their government in action," said Karen Barth, the city's communications and marketing manager.
With the theme Meet, Greet, Participate, the four meetings will be a touch less formal than usual work sessions.
During traditional work sessions, where commissioners discuss city business and hear staff presentations, residents don't have the opportunity to share their ideas.
At the new community sessions, people will have the first hour to voice their concerns or ask commissioners questions.
Commissioner Harriet Crozier, who suggested the idea at a May retreat, said the meetings will help members of the commission to be more effective leaders, too.
"I find we think everything is going along okay," Crozier said. "Unless we really get out and get involved in their world, we really don't know."
