Girtz: Engagement is a two-way street

Athens-Clarke County District Nine Commissioner Kelly Girtz, in an email response to me, reiterated his desire to obtain clearer, more accurate depictions of the proposed Clayton Street parking deck. In accepting some of the responsibility for not ensuring those documents were available sooner, he also expressed some frustration with the sudden, '11th hour' outcry over the deck ...

It is government's job, acting on behalf of citizens, to work with clarity and openness. Producing accurate, contextual images of proposed public structures is part of this responsibility. At the same time, citizens need to pay attention and bring concerns to representatives in a timely way. Unfortunately, some of the parking deck naysayers have overlooked the issue during years of discussion, and come to us at the 11th hour. This is one of those cases in which everyone could have done a better job.

This was something first noted by Athens-Clarke County District Eight Commissioner Andy Herod, who, when presented with criticism of the potential impact of parking rate increases, pointed out that the SPLOST information page clearly noted that parking revenues would be used to help offset the project's cost.