I agree with your thoughts – I think we need to emphasize collaboration between community members and utilities/regulators/other decision makers. As someone who interned with a water utility a few summers ago, I can attest that there were monthly public hearings. There were never more than one or two community members at the hearings and I got the sense that the public didn’t have an interest in the day-to-day operations of the water utility. Rather, they seem to only get involved when something goes wrong. I think that a more interactive relationship between utilities/regulators and the community needs to be implemented going forward so that community input can be factored into decision making. This will foster a more transparent environment in which utilities and regulators can be held more accountable for their actions.

I agree with your thoughts – I think we need to emphasize collaboration between community members and utilities/regulators/other decision makers. As someone who interned with a water utility a few summers ago, I can attest that there were monthly public hearings. There were never more than one or two community members at the hearings and I got the sense that the public didn’t have an interest in the day-to-day operations of the water utility. Rather, they seem to only get involved when something goes wrong. I think that a more interactive relationship between utilities/regulators needs to be implemented going forward so that community input can be factored into decision making. This will foster a more transparent environment in which utilities and regulators can be held more accountable for their actions.