Polson residents have often expressed frustration when approaching the Polson City Commission, feeling that their concerns or questions are not addressed.  

During the last Polson City Commission meeting on Monday, Feb. 2, resident Murat Kalinyaprak addressed the commission to clarify the minutes from the previous meeting. He explained that the minutes stated his “questions have not been answered.” 

“I know very well that my questions don't get answered during the meetings, only selectively,” Kalinyaprak said. “Some people get to interact with the Commission and administration back and forth. So, it wasn't for me.”  

He explained that over the months he has attended meetings, he has noticed several questions from commission members that the administration has left unanswered as well. He said he isn’t accusing the administration of failing to answer those questions privately. 

“But any question that is asked during the meeting should be answered during the meeting,” Kalinyaprak said. “Anyone who gets to hear the question deserves to hear the answer publicly, whether other commission members, whether other staff members, members of the public, newspaper reporters, whoever.”

Kalinyaprak suggested the commission keep the questions as outstanding agenda items until they are addressed.

Resident Mark Johnston, who has participated in many meetings and raised concerns to the commission over the past several years, explained that he was “not happy” with how the process had evolved. 

“You could go to those meetings, and when someone would ask a question or have a comment or whatever, you might as well just ignore them,” Johnston said. “That process was more frustrating than my own specific needs. How do you ever get anything answered if everyone’s just going to ignore you?”  

According to Johnston, everyone wants to quote Robert’s Rules of Order, but few people know how it works. His interpretation is that the public can make comments, and the commission can engage in some dialogue, but the commission cannot take action on public comments. 

He noted it would be great to see someone track the comments and address them even in the supplemental pages.  

In a recent interview, newly elected Mayor Laura Dever, who campaigned on prioritizing communication, said the commission follows a city code called parliamentary authority. Based on the latest version of Robert’s Rules of Order, it provides a solid framework for their meetings and keeps the official business of the meeting on track and consistent.  

“Part of Robert's rules is that public comment is a one-way communication tool for input; it's not a debate,” Dever said. “That's where I think a lot of people misunderstand. Even I didn't know that when I was elected to the commission.”  

She said that they can’t veer off the agenda to address every complaint and that they often don’t have answers on the spot. Dever explained that contacting department heads or the commissioners outside of the formal meeting is often the best way to address issues. 

“But that being said, I do think that we could do a little better," Dever said. She noted that Commissioner Carolyn Pardini "does a really good job of tracking people's questions and makes sure that they get answered. And I appreciate that she always takes the time to do that.” 

Dever said she plans to speak with City Manager Ed Meece soon to establish a formal follow-up process for public questions. Even an Excel spreadsheet to track comments, she believes, would be feasible for a town the size of Polson.  

“It does happen now, but it's not formalized in any way, unless it comes back in the supplemental package and the agendas as a follow-up,” she said. “We could track that a little better for sure, just so people are getting their questions answered and their issues dealt with.” 

Dever said she is happy to meet with anyone and that this is part of her job to hear citizens' concerns. She would also like to see the city use Facebook, possibly publish a city report in the paper, utilize the Polson Chamber of Commerce e-blast and schedule public workshops to communicate more effectively with citizens.