The Jefferson County Health Department plans to hold a town hall meeting Wednesday, March 9, to allow the public to provide feedback to the agency’s board of trustees.
“We wanted to announce to the community that we are planning to hold a town hall meeting, which will give anyone who is interested in making comments and providing information to the board their opportunity to do that in person,” board chairman Dennis Diehl said.
The meeting will be from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Hillsboro Community Civic Center, 10349 Business 21, in Hillsboro.
Board attorney Christi Coleman said people who wish to speak will have to sign in with their name, phone number and address.
“It is simply an opportunity for the public to share some feedback, positive or negative feedback, encouragement and concern, but you will be invited to speak in the order that you signed up,” she said.
Coleman said comments will be limited to two or three minutes for each speaker.
“It is not a dialogue between the speaker and the board, and there is no business being decided at that meeting,” she said.
Diehl announced the town hall meeting during the Feb. 24 board meeting.
Unprepared
Also at the Feb. 24 meeting, the board was getting ready to vote on the Health Department’s January 2022 expenditures, which totaled $95,927.13, and board member Suzy Davis questioned what was being voted on and asked what the legal fees for the month were.
Fellow board member James Prater told Davis the legal fees have been in the board packet for the last several months.
“Be prepared,” he said. “You’re taking up everybody’s time with your unpreparedness.”
Davis said she was just asking a question.
“You ask the same question every week or every month,” Prater said.
Diehl said the legal fees noted in the January expenditures totaled $1,002.05.
The board voted 5-0 to approve the expenditures.