There was a time when Estevan city council was can't miss viewing.
With the mayor and councillors of the day constantly sparring with each other, council became a bi-weekly soap opera. It wasn't exactly Dallas, but it was pretty darn fun to watch.
We would never advocate a return to those days where council did more fighting among themselves than passing meaningful motions, but their meetings have become painfully dull over the past few years.
There has been little or no debate during open meetings, especially on matters of importance. Sure, they'll debate the merits of sand versus crumb rubber for almost an hour, but when it came to something as important as raising taxes, council barely spent 10 minutes on the subject.
It was obvious that when it came to matters of importance, the debate was held behind closed doors and the open meeting of council was merely a rubber stamp.
That's why we took notice at the March 17 open council meeting when council held a good old fashioned debate on whether or not to move forward with a new bio-solids building for the waste water treatment plant.
Although the topic may not be the most interesting, or appetizing, the debate was notable if for no other reason than such discussions are so rare.
On one side of the matter you had Councillors Greg Hoffort and Kevin Smith stating their case to delay construction for a year. On the other side were Councillors Dennis Moore, Lori Carr, Brian Johnson and Mayor Roy Ludwig who were of the opinion that construction needed to begin this year.
Both camps presented their points in a spirited, yet thoughtful manner. There was no name calling, and we are fairly certain that Earth did not spin off its axis.
The debate left those in attendance, especially the members of the media that have been subjected to years of mostly banal proceedings, wondering where the heck that type of discussion has been the last few years.
Any level of government, whether it's municipal, provincial or federal, should strive to be as open and transparent as possible. The City, and members of council, have always been very available to the media when a request for information or an interview has been made.
But the lack of open debate in chambers has been a black mark on their record. Taxpayers deserve to hear why their councillors voted for a tax increase or why they decided to not allow a particular development to proceed.
It's one thing for the media to report on such matters, it's a whole other for residents to hear it from the horse's mouth.
In fact, a new era of openness would do nothing but increase taxpayer confidence in council. Voters may not always agree with the decisions made, but if they are able to hear why they are made, they can at least respect the thought that went into it.
Council will never, and should never, become the circus it once was, but there is nothing wrong with a little debate and disagreement. Here's hoping that last week's meeting was the start of a new era of openness.
