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Clinton City Council Restricts Citizen Access
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UPDATE: The City Council voted to study the cost of taking out the wall - after this editorial was printed in Mississippi River Journal.


Clinton City Council Restricts Citizen Input
By Ivan Potter
Editorial
 
 A new public policy of the Clinton City Council for citizen participation raises legal questions about open meetings and citizen rights.
 
  During the June 19th meeting, the public was contained in a new holding area, removed from visible and audible contact with the proceedings of the City Council.   What had served as the entry area to City Hall has now been sealed off by a $1,600 protected glass wall and door.
 
 Left for contact or communication between the public and the city Clerk is a three inch opening for speaking through. If you are below five foot height, you will need a stool or someone holding you up in order to speak through this hole.
 The City Council chose to move its meeting into the old City Clerk’s office. This is an area of about 12 ft by 15 ft with a 30” door way. The meeting table is about 4 ft by 8 ft. in size. There are no windows. The public is allowed access to the City Council now by approaching and asking the Mayor’s pleasure to address the council via a 2 ft by 3 ft opening cut in the wall.
 This change in restricting public access came as a complete shock to several city Council members, Gilbert Fortier, Jeff Morrow and Francis Tuner.  At their last meeting, they were made aware of this situation when they arrived at City Hall for the regular council meeting. They were instructed by the City Clerk to now sit in the new meeting room as she passed out new seat assignments for them.     
 Kentucky State Law states...”the open meetings law requires that regular meetings be held at specified times and places which are convenient to the public.....
 Clinton city Council, with this latest strategy toward restricting the public is now moving into a very dangerous area for legal risk to the City and its budget. Several citizens have expressed problems with:
(1) Not hearing the council:
 The public waiting area is shared between the citizens who show up for meetings and the large vending soft drink machines that drown out any sounds coming through the Cut-in-Wall connection to the City council.
Issue: Loss of rights for citizens to have access to the proceedings of the City Council.
(2) Insurance liability:
 With only one small door now opening into the council meetings, there is a risk of safety for removing council members and others in the room in case of emergency. Now all city council members share a very small room with only one way in and one way out.
(3) Handicap Access:
 If you are handicapped and have limited movement ability, it will be almost impossible for you to approach the city council or have them hear your concerns. The new physical situation is anti handicap friendly.
Issue: Could the issue of handicap access have impact on the $2,000,000 federal Water/Sewer USDA grant being reserved for Clinton?
 The future of small towns in the 21st century requires both government and the people being a team in approaching and solving major problems. This team of leadership only works if there is trust between the two levels of society. Without this trust, the future is at risk.
 Now, as events are playing out, the future is at risk. Public trust has been broken in Clinton.    

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