Transparency in T-burg government

Social media tends to get a bad rap and, in fact, has become a platform for people to give their opinions in disrespectful ways, even attacking others because of their opinions. I will admit I have stepped out of my own integrity online recently, having had enough of the negativity in my community.

When reflecting on my social media behavior, I began to think about what is positive in my online community: volunteer village board members and elected and hired officials who hold to decision-making processes, who are willing to be thoughtful in reviewing laws, codes and ordinances and believe in transparency.

Trumansburg officials go above and beyond to utilize social media in order to ensure information related to village government and other village news is transmitted to residents.

The Facebook page Trumansburg Virtual Village Hall provides a space for open dialogue regarding village board meetings, changes in laws, codes and ordinances and welcomes questions from the community.

Village officials, who are largely volunteers with full-time jobs and young families, take time out of their days, and time away from their families, to respond to community dialogue in a thoughtful and timely manner.

In addition to the Facebook page, the village website includes an “Ask the Mayor” section, where anyone can ask appropriate questions or post comments about Trumanburg, and all board members contact information is made available.

Village officials also record board meetings and make them available to the public on YouTube. Lastly, the village office always welcomes in-person visits during hours of operation, and board meetings include public comment times.

This transparency and open dialogue is unlike any other local municipality. The only other municipality in the area that even has a Facebook page is Dryden, and it does not welcome public dialogue.

This really speaks to the dedication of village officials, and their intent to fully and accurately represent their constituents. While the majority of their constituents are grateful for the open dialogue, village officials do face some that are unkind or impatient when awaiting responses to questions or comments. In spite of this, they maintain the openness with the community.

“When the current board took shape in April of 2018, we all were committed to offering more ways for village residents to connect with us and have ample opportunity to provide feedback,” village trustee Keith Hannon said. “While the website contains important notices and information, we recognized much of the local conversation was happening in online communities such as Facebook and NextDoor.”

Because there are many different groups/pages within the various networks, Hannon said, the board of trustees thought the most productive approach to online engagement was to create a Facebook group that was managed by the board members/mayor.

“We recognized we needed to engage online but also knew that it would be very difficult to monitor several different groups looking for village-related questions/concerns,” he said. “By creating a space solely dedicated to answering/asking questions, meeting notices, livestream broadcasts, and events, we’re able to market it as the place on social media that’s guaranteed to garner a response from one of your elected officials.”

The village office is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Board meeting agendas, meeting notes, recordings and other village news can be found on the village website, trumansburg-ny.gov, and the Facebook page.

In Brief:

Public safety open house

The Trumansburg police, fire and ambulance departments, along with other area first responders, will be holding the first Public Safety Open House on Oct. 12 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Trumansburg Fire Hall.
This event, organized by full time officer Mackenzie Covert, will offer the community a chance to meet the first-responders that protect and support the village and region.

This free event includes a children’s get-out, stay-out obstacle course, car seat safety inspections, a hands-on fire hose demonstration, hands-on fire extinguisher demonstration for adults, the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Department K9 Deputy, Ode, and more.

Halloween Spectacular

Ghouls, ghosts and goblins alike all are invited for an evening of fright at the Trumansburg Farmers Market Halloween Spectacular on Wednesday, Oct. 16 from 4 to 7 p.m.
In addition to all your favorite vendors, there will be spooky story time with the Ulysses Philomathic Library, a scavenger hunt, bring-your-own-camera photo booth, a haunted animal farm, pumpkin painting and more. Come in costume and bring the kids, as it will not be too scary!

Festival FUNdraiser

T-Burg Takes on Pediatric Cancer will host the second annual Fall Festival FUNdraiser on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Trumansburg Fairgrounds. Join them for fall fun and help raise funds for Tburg Takes On!
There will be bounce houses, pumpkin chuckin’, a cider press, a traveling zoo, games, hayrides and more. Food is available for purchase from Lake Country Food Truck. Entry fee is $12 per person, and children 2 and under are free. Come on out to Trumansburg to support this very important organization that has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to families facing pediatric cancer.

Trumansburg football

Congratulations to the Blue Raiders varsity football team on their first game of the season last Friday. While they ultimately fell to Elmira Notre Dame with a score of 30-12, Trumansburg held their own in the second half.