Much of the work of your ANC involves making decisions based on information brought to it by the community it serves.  Our decisions, and the public interest we seek to further, is, of course, critically dependent on the quality of the facts we receive.  We rely on our agendas and meeting notices to alert the community and those who may be affected by our actions in advance so that interested parties can be present at meetings and make their views known.  This is not, however, the only method.  Interested members of the community are always welcomed and encouraged to present written views to the ANC.  We are not fussy about the form of the expression.  E-mail to the chairman, our executive director, or any commissioner will work, as wiill formal memoranda.

It is important to note that the DC sunshine laws do not permit the ANC to take actions other than in public meetings.  Our regular public meetings occur monthly. Often, we are pressed for time in taking actions.  Our major function is to advise other elements of DC government to take or refrain from taking some action.  (for example, to protest the renewal of a liquor license or to advise the BZA to grant a special exception).  For our advise to be entitled to “great weight” as provided for by D.C. Code §1-309.10, we must meet the statutory or regulatory deadlines set by the intended recipient of our advice.  This means that written submissions to us are best provided before the public meeting at which the matter is to be decided, since we may not have the flexibility to delay formal action to the next meeting.  No one suggests that this is an ideal procedure.  We do, of course, have the power to call special public meetings on one-week’s notice, but this is difficult to do given that your Commissioners are volunteers with other full-time occupations.  Therefore, we urge that you make sure you are on our mailing lists for meeting notices, act quickly when there are matters on which you want to be heard, and give us your views in writing if you cannot attend the meetings.

Another point is that our fact finding methods are not rigidly prescribed.  By law, our meetings are conducted under Robert’s Rules of Order.  Other than that, we do not require formal rules of evidence, as would a court.  This perhaps has the disadvantage of denying some the protections which are built into those rules.  We do, however, seek to be fair to all, and there are advantages in our more informal procedures such as the greater flexibility afforded the ANC and to those presenting views to the ANC, without the practical need to be represented by counsel or other professional experts.  (Of course, anyone is entitled to be so represented at our meetings, if that is their wish.)

ANC2F continues to seek ways to make its meeting and its procedures more efficient, more effective and more encompassing.  Suggestions for improvement are always welcome.

Sincerely yours,

Charles Reed