Local Citizen once again calls for greater transparency in McKenzie County governance
M.K. French
Farmer Staff Writer
Transparency and long-term accountability took center stage during the public comment section at the December 16 McKenzie County Board of Commissioners meeting, as local resident Travis Bateman urged officials to provide more detail in public records and adhere strictly to meeting agendas.
Addressing the board during the December 16 session, Bateman raised concerns regarding the board’s recent annual reorganization, noting that the item was conspicuously absent from the previous meeting’s published agenda. Bateman also argued that major board actions, such as the election of leadership, should be clearly signaled to the public in advance. “I believe that falls under a topic that should be listed in order to be discussed or conducted in the future,” he stated. Furthermore, he challenged all five elected commissioners to share the burden of leadership rather than letting roles consolidate. “Each of you stepped up enough to run, got elected to now serve on this board...I ask that you all please be willing to step up to the roles of chair and vice chair as there’s enough to rotate through each year.”
Yet another appeal to commissioners during Bateman’s remarks focused on meeting minute details. He expressed a growing concern that current record-keeping practices may leave future generations in the dark regarding the “how” and “why” of county decisions. “I’m concerned that someone looking for information five, ten or fifty years after most or all of us here are gone, that there will be not enough information to be able to determine how a decision was arrived at,” Bateman told the commissioners. He requested that future minutes include more comprehensive summaries of the discussions held before a vote is cast.
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