A Lack of Transparency

Here’s an example that demonstrates the lack of transparency in North Smithfield's Town Government.

The Rhode Island Open Meetings Law (OMA) requires that meeting agendas of public bodies contain a sufficient statement to apprise the public of the nature of the business to be discussed. Basically, citizens should be able to easily figure out from the agenda description what the public board will be discussing. Below is an agenda item listed under “New Business” for Monday night’s Town Council meeting.

I. Discussion by Council, Vote or Other Action on Change Orders No. 5 and No. 6 – Mr. Ezovski 1. Authorization for Signature

Are you clueless after reading the agenda item? State law dictates you shouldn’t be. Do you have any idea what the change orders relate to? You should, according to the OMA law. It appears to me that someone in town government was trying to avoid public notification of this topic by writing a ridiculously inadequate agenda description. By doing so they've inadvertently drawn attention to the item.

I’m fairly confident that after seeing this post, our town "leaders" will remove this item from Monday night’s agenda. They should re-post it, with more specific details included, and place it on a future agenda. Our current town administration has been found to be in violation of state law in the past for composing an insufficient agenda item description. This one is just outrageous.

The full agenda can be found here.

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