If you want to know what Hubbard County government is doing in 2013, you're on your own.
Commissioners decided Wednesday, caving in to the wishes of a couple department heads, to move meetings to Tuesday starting January 2013.
That is the day both the Enterprise and Northwoods Press newspapers lay out the papers and send them to the printing press.
In days when even small newspapers, like many businesses, have trimmed staff to a minimum, dispatching a news reporter to the county board meetings during paper layout would be too much of a hardship on the rest of the staff.
It takes all of us working together to get the paper out. It's likely our competition will suffer the same labor issues.
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Both papers have repeatedly implored the board not to make this move, but it fell on deaf ears this week.
Government depends on open dealings, not just with the public, but with the media. It is a disappointing outcome, especially in the age of e-mail.
This week Land Department handouts were not available to reporters. On any given week, not to pick on the Land Department, information from other departments is routinely e-transmitted and board members seem to have made up their minds on matters involving your money.
Reporters sit in meetings wondering what just transpired.
These are your elected officials dealing with your money.
Although they generally have our best interests in mind, do we trust them to conduct our business to a vacant room?
You decide.
PARK RAPIDS ENTERPRISE
