TAMPA, Fla. — Keeping up with Tampa City Council and Hillsborough County meetings can be confusing, especially for residents unfamiliar with parliamentary procedure and the often-lengthy agendas that guide each session.
What You Need To Know
The Agenda is a weekly public service podcast designed to help residents understand what local leaders are debating and voting on before meetings even begin
The show is hosted by community leaders Kella McKaskill, Stephanie Poynor, Connie Burton, Alison Hewitt and Daryl Hych, who walk listeners through agenda items in plain language and explain how the process works
The podcast releases new episodes every Monday at 6:30 p.m.
A new local podcast aims to change that.
The Agenda is a weekly public service podcast designed to help residents understand what local leaders are debating and voting on before meetings even begin.
The show is hosted by community leaders Kella McKaskill, Stephanie Poynor, Connie Burton, Alison Hewitt and Daryl Hych, who walk listeners through agenda items in plain language and explain how the process works.
“It’s an excellent opportunity for those who are not able to make it to city council to be aware of what’s going on,” Burton said.
Burton describes the podcast as a gateway into civic participation for residents who may feel intimidated by formal government settings.
“The Agenda is almost like a navigation tool is the way I see it, because people that are afraid to come to city government, it gives them an opportunity then to practice for future participation,” she said.
McCaskill says the conversations are meant to reflect concerns from neighborhoods across the city and county.
“Multiple people are sharing the agenda, how it impacts your community,” McKaskill said. “You actually build some understanding of what goes on throughout the city and you get to talk about the areas that concern you the most.”
For Hych, the idea grew out of personal experience attending meetings and struggling to make an impact during limited public comment periods.
“You have to craft three minutes in order to get your point across,” Hych said. “You’re making a little impact, but you’re not making a major impact, especially when there are so many things that need to be discussed.”
Hych said many residents don’t review meeting agendas until the day of the vote.
“The average person only gets the agenda when they come down there on Thursday and take a quick minute to thumb through all the pages,” he said. “All of that is important, but you’re not knowing that hinders progress.”
By slowing down the process and translating complex documents into everyday language, the hosts say they hope to encourage more residents to follow local issues — and eventually participate directly.
The podcast releases new episodes every Monday at 6:30 p.m.
Spectrum Bay News 9/Fadia Patterson