As part of the planning process, the Working Group should have already discussed the hearing process with the county clerk and county commissioners. A timetable for the hearing process should have been discussed as part of this conversation. It is also a good idea to give the county clerk a copy of the law governing the process. [See I.C. §§ 33-2704 and 33-2708.]
When the petitions have been approved by the district library board, the board notifies the county commissioners of the county in which the petition arose. You will need to contact the county clerk to be placed on the agenda.
Hearing Date. After the petitions have been presented and the district board has notified the county commissioners of its approval, the county commissioners are required by law to set a time and place for a hearing. The hearing can be part of a regularly scheduled county commission meeting. It must take place no less than three (3) and no more than six (6) weeks after the petitions have been presented. [See I.C. § 33-2704(2).]
Hearing Notices. The county commissioners must announce the hearing in a newspaper of general circulation once a week for two (2) weeks prior to the hearing.
The Hearing Itself. A public hearing is an opportunity for the public to speak about an issue that concerns them, usually followed by a decision made by a public board. Idaho Code allows the public to comment on the following issues regarding the formation of the library district:
- the form of the petition
- the genuineness of signatures
- the legality of the proceedings
- any other matters in regard to the creation of the district.
Hearings may be quite formal, where speakers must sign up at the beginning of the meeting, and each person is only allowed to speak once. Or they may be informal where people can speak back and forth on the issue. Find out how your county commissioners customarily conduct hearings and prepare accordingly.
It is usual for people who oppose the district to attend and speak at the hearing. Since the hearing will normally be covered by the press, it is vital that the proponents of the district attend and speak at the hearing as well.
Here are some hints about how to make a good impression at the hearing.
- If possible, ask community leaders to be present and speak in favor of the district.
- Put together a team of speakers to address different issues.
- Even if people do not wish to speak, ask them to come to the hearing. Then have one of your speakers ask all in favor of the district to stand up. (It is impressive when most of the crowd stands at this request.)
- Anticipate the arguments that will be made against the district and plan on answering them.
- If people are only allowed to talk once, ask that your most knowledgeable speakers be allowed to present last, so they can answer any arguments against the district.