Residents can give officials instant feedback on the proposed budget, thanks to polling computers at tonight’s meeting.
By Warren Cornwall
Herald Writer
Regis Philbin will not be hosting the show.
There will not be a chance to become a millionaire.
But a meeting tonight about the Snohomish County budget may be as close as some people get to being quizzed on a game show like "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."
County officials will try to gauge public sentiment about county government and spending with the help of hand-held gizmos that instantly tally the audience’s answers to a series of questions.
"The idea is to turn the presentation into more of a dialogue," said County Executive Bob Drewel, who unveiled his proposed 2002 budget Friday.
Such instant-polling technology is increasingly common among organizations trying to reach out to the public, said Roger Pawley, chief executive officer for Leadership Technology Group, the Everett-based company providing the equipment.
"Especially public agencies that are accused of not listening," he said. "The individuals in organizations want to listen most of the time."
People attending the meeting will get a hand-held computer resembling an oversized television remote control. As county officials present the information about county government and spending, they will ask the audience a series of questions. People can type their answers into the computers, and the results will pop up on the screen shortly after.
Don’t worry, the questions won’t be game show stumpers.
The first one will likely be, "How are you today?" Choices for a response range from "Terrific" to "Don’t even ask."
Questions will eventually move into matters of county government, asking people what their areas of concern are and where they think dollars are spent, Drewel said.
But people hoping to give his budget proposal an up or down vote will be disappointed.
"The question will not be, ‘Do you like the budget or not?’ " Drewel said.
The technology has some advantages over traditional public meetings, Pawley said. First, people don’t have to worry about being publicly identified with unpopular ideas.
"People will raise their hand on the politically correct responses," he said of other meetings. "This is anonymous."
It also helps counter gatherings where vocal people can dominate a discussion, sometimes giving a false sense of what most people at a meeting want when others aren’t willing to speak up, he said.
"This is a way of including everyone," he said.
Pawley hasn’t used the technology at a Snohomish County public forum before. Most of his clients are school districts around the country, including Virginia, Maryland, Florida and Nevada.
The meeting will be equipped to poll as many as 500 people, he said. There will also be time set aside for more conventional public comment.
Pawley said he is donating his services for the meeting. The gathering at 7 p.m. at the Snohomish County Public Utility District auditorium is sponsored by the League of Women Voters, along with other civic groups.
You can call Herald Writer Warren Cornwall at 425-339-3463 or send e-mail to cornwall@heraldnet.com.
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