A fowl finds things afoul....

Chicken Little (c) The Walt Disney Company

Not too long ago, I came across my old friend and former trustee candidate and village manager 
applicant, Chicken Little.

He seemed unusually flustered, a state I generally seem him around holiday times when a lot of folks are making chicken soup, which I guess, can be expected.

But he seemed rattled as if something had gone afoul, or in this case, afowl.

“I came as quick as I could,” he said, adding that “when I read about what was going on in the village, I had a sense the sky was falling.”

Not again, I asked.

“But wait, first it was landfills, then hail, locusts, murrain, boils and now, can it be, drinking water?”

Relax, I said, this is just another chapter in the village’s history, and besides, the issues with hail, locusts, murrain, boils have all been resolved.

“Are you sure?” he clucked.  “I understand there’s the Coalition of Repetitive and Annoying Persons that is trying to rewrite history about the village’s water,” he said.  “What’s up with that?

Nothing.  Same water we’ve had for nearly 30 years.

“Oh,” he said. “But what about the revised agenda, and permission forms?  No doubt the village is trying to keep residents from being heard?”

Not really, I explained.  The only difference is that resident’s questions about non-agenda items comes later in the meeting and you need to preregister.

The request to speak form

“Wow,” he clucked, “another first for the village of big bison.”  Again, not really.  Many governing agencies ask residents to pre-register so they know in advance who is speaking and on what topic.

"There must be a catch,” C.L. said.  “I bet the Board is taking away First Amendment rights by speaking time down to 30 seconds.”

Wrong again Perdue boy.

The village’s 10-minute limit, which is inordinately long, will remain in place.  Besides, the First Amendment gives residents the right to speak.  There is nothing in the First Amendment that tells governments how to run a meeting.

“So, as they say around the old coop, what the cluck?”

Good question. I told C.L. that it just seems that, as they may say around the coop, that some folks just don’t have a leg to stand on and it doesn’t take much to get their giblets rattled.

“Do you mind,” he said. “Leave the chicken humor to me.  But I need to know, what prompted some folks to be disruptive, rude and accusatory?”

Beats me, I said.  Maybe they’ve been cooped up too long.

“Well,” he said, “on that note, they can always do what we do when things get a bit crazy.”

And that is?

“Flee the coop.”