All too often, people take an interest in the dealings of their local governments only when they feel it affects them directly.

A handful of residents have been consistently attending Weirton Council meetings this year, speaking about the water issue. In the last month, between 20 and 25 residents took part in meetings held by the Weirton Zoning Board of Appeals over a proposed timbering project located on the hillside between Marland Heights and Freedom Way.

The Hancock County Commission meetings were packed a few months back when it was announced there would be budgetary cuts to the county sheriff’s department, and other areas.

But, for the most part, the galleries of meetings are made up of local media, department heads and maybe a few staff members. Every once in a while, a resident or two might make their way in to see what is going on, or have an issue they wish to present to the governing body.

I’m well aware not everyone in our area reads our newspaper. I see our numbers on a regular basis, and even the online counts aren’t close to the population of Weirton, let alone our neighboring communities.

Perhaps people prefer to watch from the comfort of their own home.

Several of our governmental entities livestream their meetings, or, at the very least, record them for later broadcast.

Weirton Council goes live on the city’s Facebook page, and those broadcasts are archived for a while. Under a law passed by the state Legislature, board of education meetings also are to be livestreamed and archived on the school board’s website (or another location publicly available).

The Hancock County Commission has a contract with a video crew, which records the meetings from several angles. The finished recordings are later broadcast on West Liberty University’s television station, which is available to many of us through our local Xfinity/Comcast service.

Then, there’s the old rumor mill. Perhaps a member of the governing body tells a few people what happened at their meeting, or someone who watched the livestream or did read the newspaper is explaining it to their friends. That gets passed around, sometimes it happens accurately, others not so much.

It’s my job to be there, but it’s my responsibility to relay the actions of your elected representatives to help keep you as informed as possible.

At the same time, it would be nice to see residents take an active interest in what their council’s, commissions, boards, etc. are doing on their behalf. Let’s face it, everything they do has an effect on your life and your community, whether it’s the way funds are budgeted, approving a timbering project, hiring an individual, establishing or amending a policy, or how infrastructure is established and maintained.

You don’t have to be there at every meeting, but I would encourage residents to take the time to attend a meeting every once in a while. Sit in the audience, observe, listen, and learn. Find out more about what actions are being taken. Look into the topics for yourself. If you feel strongly enough about something, sign up ahead of the meeting to address the body. It doesn’t have to be anything controversial.

See how your government functions – or doesn’t function.

You can’t be an informed citizenry if you don’t know what’s being done on your behalf.

(Howell, a resident of Colliers, is managing editor of The Weirton Daily Times, and can be contacted at chowell@weirtondailytimes.com or followed on Twitter/X @CHowellWDT)