Attend a Public Meeting and Analysis Paper (20%)
Students will attend a public meeting for a water agency, water conservation district, or other public agency that deals with water policy or supply. Most agencies are continuing remote meetings and are recorded, so participating is easy. I will provide you with a list of agency/meeting recommendations and examples. Students will ensure that the public meeting covers water-related topics (and not just financial or other administerial items) by viewing the posted agenda beforehand. Choose at least one item on the agenda (sometimes multiple items are tied to the same subject) to focus on and submit the agenda with the highlighted item(s) to me ahead of time. The item should be an actionable item, meaning that there is a vote on how to proceed. Titles of actionable items will include words like “Authorization,” “Consideration,” or “Resolution.” After attending or viewing the recorded/live meeting, you will write a paper on the background of the issue discussed, what was discussed at the meeting, and what you see as viable solutions based on knowledge gained in this course. Some questions to consider:
What is the background of this item? What are the current laws/regulations/resolutions regarding this item? Does this item reference something discussed at previous meetings?
Were there comments from the public or other agencies submitted about this item?
Were there members of the voting body (typically the Board of Directors) that disagreed with the recommendation?
Who does the item affect? Can you think of any factors/consequences that were not discussed?
What location is affected by this decision (regional, statewide, a municipality etc.)? If the decision affects a large region, do you think it is too broad? Perhaps it doesn’t address the variability in local laws, water demand, and water supply conditions, if so, explain.
How many directors are on the Board and what was the vote? Or maybe it was “tabled” (pushed back) to another meeting?
What have you learned in this course that applies to this item?
Are there any other solutions to the problem that this item is addressing?
These questions are just a starting point and the things that you will discuss in your paper may vary depending on the subject matter. After the meeting, you can always look for the “Minutes” which summarizes the meeting if you need more information. The paper should be 4-6 pages double-spaced Times New Roman, 11 point font, 1 inch margins. Include the agenda and the agenda item as attachments to your paper (this is not included as your page count).
This is the meeting //
