Lack of Chatter doesn't equal inactivity!

The lack of blog entries here does not mean that the Citizens Council is not hard at work! For the past several months, the Golf Working Group has been gathering information in preparation for a community presentation regarding the Mount Plymouth Golf Course, which closed in 2007. Watch this space -- and the website -- for more information. Under discussion is how the Golf Course could be maintained as a golf course, the possiblity of a true Community Center, the possibility to establishing a Community Development Area...there's a lot going on and some really exciting discussions. Some members of the group will meet with Commissioner Stewart next week to discover how the County can assist in maintaining our community by keeping the Course from further deteriorating. Want to know more? Watch for the next meeting date.

How did the East Lake Citizens Council get started?

The Council got its start when a group of citizens resigned from a local County advisory committee to pursue a broader vision. You can read their statement at http://www.eastlakecitizenscouncil.org/index_files/Page435.htm. The Council is not intended to replace the existing advisory committee. Council members are convinced that the advisory committee structure cannot address all of the immediate and varied issues facing East Lake County. We hope that if you have questions, you will e-mail your questions to info@eastlakecitizenscouncil.org or check http://www.eastlakecitizenscouncil.org/ and mark your calendar for our next meeting.

An Overview of the Citizens Council

You can learn more at http://www.eastlakecitizenscouncil.org/ An Overview of the Design and Purpose of The East Lake Citizens Council By Clark Morris JAN 2008 Why do we need an East Lake Citizens Council in the first place?

1. To get more local informed citizen input on any and all issues affecting the Greater East Lake County Area, limited to no particular person or group.

2.To provide an open working space where various groups and organizations affecting the Greater East Lake Area can come together to identify the issues, discuss each group’s concerns, share ideas, and ultimately produce majority (and minority) opinions and propose solutions needed by residents, associations, business, and government leaders/organizations as our community changes.

3. To strengthen and complement existing organizations in their own domain of interest. To identify and harness each organization’s particular strengths/expertise/ influence to accomplish goals as endorsed by the group as a whole.

4. To enable the broadest level of citizenry to identify issues, set agenda priorities, and accomplish the goals of most importance to them.

5. To provide a forum for positive and constructive civil discourse to accomplish goals in a timely manner without excluding or offending any group or individual. What is the structure of the East Lake Citizens Council? The East Lake Citizen Council proper consists of three groups; with a forth assumed group. These are Residents, Members, and Stakeholders (including working groups). The Board of Directors is elected from among these groups. Residents – Simply put these are the general beneficiary of the work accomplished by the ELCC. Residents are encouraged to attend workshops and information sessions and provide input through the Stakeholder groups as their bylaws or manner of operating permit, as well as direct input during public comment during working sessions of the ELCC. Our web site, post office box, and email address allow residents to identify issues of concern to them. Residents are encouraged to join or form a Stakeholder group in order to more efficiently address their concerns at the Stakeholder table. See Items 1, 3 and 5 above. Members – Members set the agenda priorities to be addressed by the Stakeholder Group, approve Stakeholder admission to the ELCC, nominate Working Group Chairpersons, and elect the Board of Directors. It is desirable for all issues to be identified and eventually worked, but the dues paying membership will be the citizens who have the privilege of voting on those agenda items they consider of most importance to be accomplished by the Stakeholder group, and approving admission of Stakeholders to the group. The bottom line here is that for any organization to function, funds are required to accomplish its goals. Members have all the benefits and responsibilities as Residents. See Item 5 and 6 above. Stakeholders – Stakeholders represent the various groups and organizations active in the East Lake County Area. These consist of civic organizations, non-governmental organizations, social groups, churches, businesses, large landowners, government and civic leaders which have an impact on the community. The Stakeholders purpose is to address the issues identified by the Residents, in the priority order set by the Membership during the monthly workshop meetings. The Stakeholders will bring forth their particular expertise, experience, knowledge, capabilities and abilities to produce opinions (majority and minority) and propose and implement solutions for the identified agenda items. Stakeholders may form working groups, and team with outside groups to accomplish goals as required. Stakeholder groups will provide a credentialed representative to the ELCC, and the Membership will vote on acceptance of the Stakeholder group to the organization. Members who wish to be seated at the Stakeholder table should be first encouraged to join an existing un-represented organization and “bring them to the table” (functioning as their Stakeholder Representative), or attend regular meetings of the ELCC and petition the Membership to assign a Working Group for them to chair in lieu of representing any particular organization. The underlying purpose of the Stakeholder group, is to allow each organization to bring its particular strengths and interests to the table, while still remaining as an independent and autonomous group. The Stakeholder will serve as a conduit between their organization and the other Stakeholders at the ELCC table. In this manner, the bulk of the problem solving and discussion internal to each group can be accomplished offline prior to the ELCC monthly meeting, so that issues can be most efficiently addressed and hopefully resolved. See Items 2, 3, and 4 above. Working Groups – Identified at the direction of the Stakeholders with concurrence by the Board of Directors, Working Groups are used to accomplish tasks required outside of the monthly meetings. This could be something such as organizing a trip to visit the Board of County Commissioners during a particular vote of concern to our area, or doing external research on a new building project or topic of concern identified by the Stakeholders. This may be maintaining the ELCC website, or planning an end of year social event. It may be producing a “White Paper” outlining a particular position of the ELCC as a whole. Working Groups are chaired by any Member of the ELCC and are nominated by the Membership and approved by the majority vote of the Stakeholders. See Items 3, and 4 above. Board of Directors – President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, Information Technology Administrator. The BOD main purpose is to run the day to day functions of the ELCC. Arrange for meetings sites, advertise meetings to the public, provide the public face of the organization, run the monthly meetings, assist the Working Groups as required, provide the leadership and run the infrastructure which enables the Stakeholders and Working Groups to accomplish their overall tasks. The BOD will set ELCC policy and procedures with Membership approval. See Item 6 above. Third, what tools do we need to accomplish the mission? Meeting Place and Time – A comfortable facility capable of seating at least 100. A monthly weeknight meeting time that does not interfere with existing Stakeholder’s meeting schedules to maximum extent possible. This should generally exclude Wednesday and Fridays. The group should offer a reasonable amount of money for rent for privately owned facilities such as a church or civic organization hall. Web Site – A web site should be provided to host blogs, links to member organizations web sites, and forums as they are identified. Also, a method whereby residents can identify issues, and where members can electronically vote to set agenda priorities. A method to enable residents to join the organization should be provided, as well as allow people to subscribe to our email lists.

Membership Kit - Contains any useful information such as a yard sign for them to place in their yard notifying other residents the place and time for meetings. Others things as yet determined. Each member gets an identifying button for use during external events. The East Lake Citizens Council was formed by a group of private citizens who believe we need a platform where the problems faced by our community can be addressed in a civil manner with a minimum of “politics”. A place where ALL of the people affected by the coming growth issues can bring their knowledge of these issues to the table to work out the best solutions while taking into account the needs of each group. We envision a place where people can participate without putting down or silencing those who have concerns, and produce solutions that address those concerns. All citizen concerns are valid and must be addressed in a calm and engaging manner. The Council organization must be transparent, meetings must be open and conducted in a manner to foster maximum community participation. That means meeting times that accommodate working people’s participation, a meeting structure that invites appropriate input before votes are taken, and leadership and meeting management that encourages efficient use of participant’s valuable time. If the Council can provide this kind of support to the community, then residents will attend meetings, stakeholders will make sound decisions and recommendations and we will accomplish our mission.