We’re here to keep you informed, connected, and part of the process as we shape the future of the Virgin Islands – together.

–VICC Newsletter Announcing Meeting Dates, Jan. 12, 2026

I attended much of tonight’s VICC Finance & Public Service Committee meeting and, in the chat room, expressed my long-standing frustration with the lack of public availability of VICC’s public meeting agendas and public meeting records.  Few members of the public attend these meetings, so I was primarily directing my comments to VICC’s delegates. Note that I have no problem with VICC’s abstract commitment to public transparency; only its execution.

J.H. Snider 4:28 PM
Has anyone received the transcripts that the secretary mentioned at the beginning of this meeting?  The last one I’ve seen is from last May, approximately nine months ago.

J.H. Snider 4:39 PM
Also, has anyone received agendas for meetings, other than so-called “agendas” that include the name of the committee and the date and time at which it meets? What I would like to see on the agenda are the article(s) to be discussed at a particular meeting. That would allow the public to prioritize which meetings are of greatest interest to them. Otherwise, the number of meetings is overwhelming for most members of the public who aren’t VICC delegates, who do know what articles will be discussed at a particular meeting.

J.H. Snider 4:52 PM
Hi Delegates,
 
Could one of you explain what VICC’s policy is with regard to 1) making minutes, recordings, or transcripts available to the public as opposed to other delegates, and 2) making meaningful meeting agendas available to the public as opposed to other delegates? For close to a year, I’ve been off and on trying to get this information from VICC.

Bonny Corbeil 4:57 PM (Edited)
Good Afternoon Mr. Snider….
I attend pretty well every Committee meeting as a constituent ….and my input is this:
I could NOT see there could be the QUALITY  of work accomplished by these Delegates WITHOUT these many meetings.
Then there’s the need for hearing/listening to each Delegate who is voted in by Virgin Islanders… and represent them…the research shared on other countries CONSTITUTIONS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO US  and our status …and finally…most importantly is the CONSENSUS BUILDING.
I believe that Delegate Daniel’s role as Chair in her leadership in looking at former drafting…then…pursuing the input needed to draft consensus representation has been instrumental in providing these group dynamic “ musts” for success.  Bonny Corbeil.

J.H. Snider 6:05 PM
@Bonny Corbeil I think it’s great that VICC  has been diligently pursuing its mandate, which requires many meetings. My concern is the chasm, which I think has been huge for VICC, between a public meeting and a meaningfully public meeting. For example, I don’t know of any state open/public meetings act in the United States that would allow for the type of agenda and records secrecy that has characterized VICC’s “public” meetings. An argument can be made for such secrecy; I just haven’t heard it publicly made from VICC’s delegates.