It’s hard to tell whether people don’t attend public hearings because they don’t think that it’s important – or they do know that it’s not important – or they’re just apathetic. But there is one thing that is certain: There is no meaningful public participation in Tompkins County.
While citizens can sign up to speak their opinions for two-minutes; local authorities don’t take two-seconds to reach a decision afterwards. It’s as meaningful a government participation as reading a magazine in a municipal waiting room.
Local governments in Tompkins County treat the opinions of residents like fast food containers – they look for the first place to dispose of them without being seen.