I’ve heard of attempting to verbally neuter board members or privately chastising members who may not want to march in step or sing in unison. But this is getting goofy.
The Mid-Continent Public Library Board this week officially adopted a board policy that threatens board members who don’t sing in tune with the choir with removal from their position.
I’m not kidding.
A policy that reads as such was adopted Tuesday night:
“The board will act as a group and speak with one voice. Actions adopted by the board will be supported by the entire board,” the policy reads. It goes on to say:
“Although never anticipated, board members who knowingly and repeatedly violate the Board Governance Style could prompt a hearing as outlined in RSMO 182.640(3) that can include removal from the Library Board of Trustees.”
LOL. I can’t even type the words without chuckling. It reads like some kind of communist manifesto. Thankfully there’s no mention of a firing squad.
Why are some governmental bodies–like so many school boards and like this library board–afraid of public discourse among members? Open and honest discussion promotes individual thought and individual thought promotes creativity and new ways of thinking. Open and honest public discussion among members, yes even members with a minority viewpoint, helps capture the attention of the public and lets the outside world get more than one look at the issues and choices facing board members. All of this is healthy. When did this become a bad thing?
It’s interesting to note that the four Platte County members of the library board voted against this silly policy. But they were outnumbered. All board members from Clay and Jackson counties voted to approve. Reading between the lines, this tells us that it is one or hopefully more of the Platte County delegation on the board that is not afraid to ask questions and provide a differing viewpoint.
Apparently until the newest members from Platte County showed up, nobody on the three-county library board asked tough questions. Making some folks uncomfortable apparently prompted this.
So this is now board policy. Ridiculous.
2019 is an odd numbered year and thus is a real estate reassessment year, which means many taxpayers in the county could be receiving–or have already received–a notice from the Platte County assessor letting them know their home values have increased. With the real estate situation in Platte County continuing to be very much a seller’s market, it’s safe to say there are many homes slated for an increase in appraised value by the county.
It’s a good idea to read these notices carefully, lots of important information and numbers are included. Be sure to look on the back of your notice for some useful information. There’s a chart on the back that will show you how much the change in value will mean in terms of actual tax dollars you’ll owe when your next tax bill comes due on Dec. 31. Of course the numbers are based off the most recent tax levies of the various public entities. A change in those levies later this year would affect the projected amount due, so keep that in mind.
If you disagree with the value the county has placed on your home, there is a process in place to appeal the county assessor’s number. That appeal process and how to get it rolling is explained right there on your “notice of change in assessed value of real property.”
As you may know, the Park Hill School District is considering some changes in its school start times. Nothing for the start of the next academic year, mind you, as that plan was recently scrapped. But as part of a new and renewed process, the district has formed a “sleep and start times” study group. Sleep research is part of the process the district hopes to use in an ultimate decision for start times of various age groups of students.
On the topic of sleep, I was reading the postings of a guy on Twitter the other day. He was passing on some tips from his sleep doctor. Here are some of those helpful tidbits from this guy’s sleep doctor:
- However many hours you’re awake, sleep for half the amount you were awake that day. For example if you were up 16 hours, get 8 hours sleep.
- No caffeine after 2 p.m. (Good luck with that, probably not gonna happen for me).
- No alcohol three hours before bed.
- Don’t smoke.
- Eat healthy.
- Exercise between 5-7 p.m. (Is this time frame a reasonable expectation for a lot of people? If so, I want your job).
- Set the temperature at 65 degrees when sleeping. (I can relate and much prefer a too cool room over a too warm one. My winter time thermostat setting is 66, so close to the recommended 65 number. Might be tough to keep room temp at 65 degrees in the middle of a Missouri summer, unless you don’t mind your electric bill spiraling through the roof).
- Use dim lights before bed. (Seems obvious now but I had never consciously considered this one).
- Have your room be muted or neutral colors. and have a plant, scenic painting and family photos in your room. (Sounds like a cool decorating idea but not sure what difference this is going to make for sleep, since my room will be dark and I plan on having my eyes closed).
- Loose clothing while sleeping or nude. (No comment).
- No electronics in bedroom. (Yeah, right. Not gonna happen. I work in media).
And this one wasn’t listed by the sleep doctor but for best results my sleeping room needs to be dark. Not kinda dark. Not mostly dark. Dark. And I want no early morning sun creeping in. I’ll throw a blanket over the window if I have to. It’s a gangsta move. I ain’t playin’.
Baseball managers wear baseball uniforms to work so I wonder if a sleep doctor wears jammies to work. Makes the same amount of sense.
I’d love to be a sleep doctor treating a patient who is a visual learner. I’d say ‘stand there and watch, here’s how you do it’ then I’d crawl into a bed and sleep my ass off for eight hours.
(Play along with Foley on Twitter @ivanfoley and on Landmark Live videocast on Facebook at Platte County Landmark. Email ivan@plattecountylandmark.com)