The Home Rule Charter (HRC) Commissioners have been actively writing the charter for Avoyelles in its monthly public meetings. Discussions on areas such as, salaries, balance of power, term limits, and the general make-up of the new government have yielded rich information and direction on how we are proceeding with the charter. The challenge of the commission is to steer the verbiage to reflect today’s issues while simultaneously anticipating solutions to tomorrow’s obstacles. In the end we hope to have a comprehensive charter that benefits the public from a long-term perspective.
During the monthly meetings commissioners go into working sessions and discuss topics from within the proposed charter itself. These discussions have routinely highlighted views to which the members can take notes, research, and come back with more detailed information. We are not voting on controversial issues at this time, yet we are trying to understand how our articulation can best benefit the public before taking a vote. In other words, by intelligently discussing variables around an issue we can change our views when presented with new information. This format has been working well and the commissioners are pleased with it. Once the working meeting concludes, the public can comment or question the commission on what was discussed.
Your HRC commissioners were chosen by the current police jurors and represent the demography of Avoyelles Parish. The mission of the commission is to produce a comprehensive charter for consideration by the voters of the parish at a later date. Commissioners are not paid, and the commission has no budget. It is simply a think tank designed to build a better government for Avoyelles. It has been found that when communities can design governmental systems that benefit everyone, future quality of life in areas such as education, economics, healthcare, criminal justice, and much more can be elevated. For these reasons the commissions goals are more people focused and less politically focused.
In closing, a friend and large landowner asked me the other day how the charter will benefit him personally. He wanted to know how it would allow him to get his ditches dug faster, or to get his drainage improved. I replied that a Home Rule Charter would probably not benefit him personally, but that it would benefit everyone more equally. When we examine successful communities we do not see more personal favoritism in government, we see more equality for all.
For more information go to homerulecharteravoyelles.com or go to the Facebook page Avoyelles Parish Home Rule Charter Commission. You will have to ask to join the Facebook page. Our Facebook page has meeting dates, articles, podcasts, and more on the HRC process.