Editor:
One subject near and dear to my heart is that of the accommodations, or lack thereof, for Unadilla citizens and visitors who attend Unadilla City Council Meetings.
I have complained on a previous occasion or two about conditions at City Council meetings that have to be endured by those who attend just as interested observers and those who are on the agenda and attend to present matters to the mayor and council for consideration.
To begin with, in the summertime when the window air conditioners are running, it is difficult for those in the audience to hear what the mayor and council are saying even if they want the audience to hear them. It seems to me that, much of the time, they mumble inaudibly so that they won't be heard. If the units are turned off, the temperature gets uncomfortably hot.
Considering the ease with which the Council agrees to spend tens of thousands of dollars of city funds, or funds allocated to the city, for everything from police cars, to tennis courts, to senior citizens centers to grapple trucks and all other kinds of city equipment and facilities they consider, it does seem that adequate consideration should be given to those, previously mentioned, who attend City Council meetings.
From what I have observed, I would conclude that all efforts are made to discourage people from attending. I have not once heard the subject of accommodations for the citizens and others attending Council Meetings to be a matter of concern to the mayor or council members.
I believe the mayor and council members should be courteous enough to want to make conditions more comfortable and amenable to those attending the meetings along with the attendees being able to hear and understand what is being said.
Air conditioning units that are completely outside the council room and that do not introduce disturbing noise into the room should be installed. Additionally, a public address system that would allow each person sitting around the council table to be heard and understood should be installed.
A feed into that PA system should also be available at the podium for those addressing the council. Additionally, a remote microphone that could be used by members of the audience addressing the Council should be available.
Those are my recommendations. The mayor and council members, of their own volition, should be able to improve other accommodations.
Earle Hudson
Unadilla
