Dear Editor,
A community is any gathering of peoples together to share space advantages.
So a city is began.
To enable that community to support all those lives who chose to be a part of that community there requires a government that must work within a BUDGET.
That government is composed of citizens of that community.
Here in Sweet Home, OR there is a selection of citizens who chose to be a part of that governing. They enter that position by the vote of the citizens, it is called the City Council.
The City Council is only part of that government. They are the people who chose to put their time, experience and effort into working with others to help keep the community operating and supporting the citizens. They are chosen by vote to be the ones who will make the larger decisions regarding overall what will keep the community usable by all its citizens.
However there are many influences the City Council must consider.
There are the commercial businesses that operate within and through the community that contribute financial support to a BUDGET that allows the City Council to make decisions to continue the support of the community.
There are services that contribute to the needs of the citizens, those services are quite often supported by citizens who VOLUNTEER their time, experience, and effort. They are dependent on other citizens (whether commercial or volunteer) to provide a BUDGET.
The City Council depends on the Volunteering of ALL citizens to help.
How many citizens of Sweet Home, OR realize they are, everyone of them, now matter what age or status, are contributing to the power of the ongoing life in our community?
There are property dwellers and owners who financially support the BUDGET with their taxes and also shopping locally, contributing to the base of the BUDGET.
There are those outside of the city limits who consider Sweet Home, OR “their town.” They too are dependent on the decisions the City Council makes. They too are contributing to the BUDGET by shopping local and supporting volunteering opportunities.
There will always be changes. Some changes are dictated by those who want “control.” That kind of change is not always productive for all citizens of a community.
Other changes are mandatory due to growth of society overall.
Working together is the key to any growth, it is the willingness of citizens to keep up with what is influencing the City Council to make decisions.
Learning to operate as a team, those members of the City Council also must be aware and be able to make decisions based on rules mandated by others outside of the City.
Any new member of the City Council has a “learning curve.” With so many new members it will be difficult to learn so much so quickly. There should be a willingness of experienced citizens to take the time to support those new members to learn and support any changes that are mandatory, not just “control.
Bonnie Neal
Sweet Home