Albemarle County Ordinance Update

Administrators of false alarm units are often called on to present information to the local government officials.  In preparation for my debut briefing the Supervisors in my county, I visited Albemarle County last week for their Board of Supervisors meeting.  The Albemarle County Police Department was before the board to present some updates to their false alarm ordinance so it was a good opportunity to witness public reaction.  The great thing about local government is that the public has the opportunity to participate.  Albemarle County and many other counties allow citizens to have their time to air their opinions simply by signing up before the meeting begins.  The number of people who sign up, determines how much time each speaker is given.  For this meeting, there were so many people signed up, that the time limit was reduced to two minutes each. The agenda for each meeting is generally posted in advance but the public commentary does not have to be limited to the set agenda. 
Judging from the number of people who spoke, the big issue in Albemarle County these days is the Route 20 Bypass. There were some strong opinions on both sides of the issue, but a few members of the Board endured some very negative comments on decisions that they made previously on this issue.  
After the debate over the agenda items before the false alarm ordinance, I was surprised with how quickly the false alarm issue passed.  The Lieutenant from the Police Department gave a succinct report that surprised the Board with the number of alarms and how many of them are considered false.  After a few questions and one public comment, the ordinance updates were passed.  For those of you in Albemarle County, the changes add definitions for terms in the ordinance, requires alarm users to register and maintain their systems, and adds increasing fees for false alarms. 
All in all, the meeting made me remember why I am not in politics.  However, it reminded me that as a citizen, I need to be more aware of what issues are being discussed.  As citizens of these United States, we have a unique privilege of being able to take part in government by making our voices heard.  I encourage you to attend a few meetings.  If you have children, definitely take them to witness government in action.