Veterans affairs commission considers creating new rules for meetings

In response to meetings this past year becoming more contentious and unruly, the Jasper County Veterans Affairs Commission may establish some ground rules for participants or recite core values similar to the way Newton school board does before each meeting in an effort to preserve order and respect.

Commissioner Fred Chabot provided veterans affairs administrator Alyssa Wilson a sample of potential ground rules for meetings. The date at the bottom of the document — Oct. 20, 1997 — coincides with the first meeting Chabot participated in after being elected to the Newton school board.

“These ground rules governed our behavior as a school board throughout my nine years of service,” Chabot said. “…The Newton school board still utilizes values instead of ground rules and, to the best of my knowledge, at each school board meeting the president of the school board refreshes everyone’s memory.”

Specifically, Chabot referred to the mission, vision, goals, commitments and core values that school board members recite aloud before entering into any type of business at public meetings. These purpose statements reinforce who board members are working for and how best to conduct themselves at meetings.

“I think ground rules are a good guide for this group to have in terms of how we behave, how our staff behaves at these meetings and I think it would be appropriate to add a bullet point or two in regard to what our expectations are of attendees from the general public,” Chabot said.

If the county veterans affairs commission were to adopt ground rules, then Chabot suggested they be reminded to everyone attending or conducting the meeting. He proposed the commission review and discuss the matter over the next two months before making a final decision.

“With the way our meetings have gone since April of this year, I think it would be appropriate to have ground rules governing our meetings,” Chabot said.

Some of the meetings over the past few months have seen high attendance numbers. Veterans had come to the defense of Wilson back in May, who they believed was being mistreated by commissioners. The issue only exacerbated when a commissioner accosted Wilson for not returning enough phone calls.

Commissioner Ed Spangenburg placed responsibility on Wilson if veterans decide to kill themselves after having no one at the office answer the phone.

“So 10 out of 22 a day. Remember that. Twenty-two a day,” Spangenburg said to Wilson back in June, referencing the Suicide Prevention Resource Center’s estimate that 22 veterans may die by suicide each day. “You might be that phone call that they need to talk to. Twenty-two a day.”

By the July commissioners meeting, veterans filled the conference room once again. Many were angry with Spangenburg and his comments, causing them to speak out of order and for prolonged periods of time. Chabot said the ground rules could specify that attendees are limited to three minutes.

“I think we ought to add something to that in light of public comments in the past,” Chabot said.

Wilson recalled another county’s veterans affairs commission meeting got so heated that it needed law enforcement intervention. Jasper County’s veterans are passionate, but Wilson doubted conflicts would ever escalate to where someone would get violent and act out inappropriately.

“I don’t think we would necessarily get to that point, but at the same time it would be good to have that reminder,” she said.