Review editorial
December 16, 2008
By Staff
Retreat planning should start at home
The Sammamish City Council is preparing for its annual retreat. We hope it won’t be a repeat of last year, at least when it comes to accessibility.
A retreat can certainly have value for the council. Allowing the council to talk about goals and issues in a less formal environment is usually quite productive. It can also allow council members to get to know each other personally and forge relationships that can lead to compromises and good governance.
Team building is not likely to be a goal of the retreat this year. The current council has been serving together for years.
The council takes a weekend trip – last year it was to Gig Harbor – and invites any member of the public to attend. But distant retreats are more likely to diminish the public’s role in their government. No one — members of the media included — is likely to join the council for a day or two when it involves several hours in a car, bridge tolls and an overnight hotel stay.
As a result, retreats allow government to conduct a nominally open meeting in almost complete secrecy.
This year, the finances are also a concern. Citizens who wish to attend must do so on their own dime. Citizens also get to pay the way for the council members, through the use of tax dollars.
The City Council needs to rethink their retreat priorities, especially as they consider the need for coming tax hikes. Already we have seen mixed messages: the council just approved its annual property tax increase of one percent, yet only a few months ago added dental benefits for themselves.
The annual retreat has value, but it should be held locally. How about at the city-owned Beaver Lake Lodge?
The building offers relaxed (and lovely) facilities, and the council could use it at no cost. Then order in nice box lunches to show support of local businesses.
The council has not yet finalized plans for this year’s retreat, to be held Jan. 22-24. Whether or not any community members attend is not the point.
Giving the public the opportunity to listen and learn, and stressing frugality with city funds by staying nearby, lets citizens know their council gets it.
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