Matt Bloomfield for Town Council
Get Involved
Local government works best when residents show up. Here's exactly how to be part of it — and how to reach me.
When the Council Meets
The Snowflake Town Council holds its regular meeting on the first Tuesday of every month at 7:00 PM at Snowflake Town Hall. These meetings are open to the public, and you're always welcome to attend — no invitation, no sign-up, just show up.
Agendas are posted publicly ahead of each meeting, so you can see what's up for discussion before you come. Special meetings are called from time to time as town business requires and are posted the same way.
Working Sessions: Where the Real Discussion Happens
Here's something a lot of people don't realize: much of the Council's discussion happens in working sessions — study sessions held before the regular meeting. These sessions are open to the public to observe, though they don't include a public comment period. This is where the Council digs into the details: staff presentations, questions back and forth, and the hard thinking on complex issues.
That's also why a regular Council meeting can sometimes look surprisingly short. It's not that the Council doesn't care or isn't engaged — it's that so much has already been talked through in the working session that, by the time an item reaches the formal meeting, everyone understands it and is ready to vote. If you really want to see how decisions get made, the working session is the room to be in.
How Open Meetings Work
Arizona's Open Meeting Law requires that the public's business be conducted in the open. In practice, that means the Council can only take official action on items that appear on a posted agenda, and members can't gather outside a public meeting to decide town business behind closed doors. It's a good rule — it keeps everything transparent and accountable to you.
It also sets some ground rules worth knowing: because an item has to be noticed on the agenda before the Council can act on it, we can't always vote on a brand-new topic the moment it's raised from the floor. When that happens, it's usually so the item can be properly placed on a future agenda — not to brush it aside.
What Is a "Call to the Public"?
Most regular meetings include a Call to the Public — a set time when any resident can step up to the podium and speak to the Council. You don't have to be on the agenda. You just come, and when the Call to the Public is announced, you're invited to share what's on your mind, usually within a short time limit so everyone who wants to speak gets a turn.
One thing to expect: under the Open Meeting Law, the Council generally can't debate or take action on a topic raised during the Call to the Public if it isn't already on the agenda. We can listen, ask that it be looked into, or direct it onto a future agenda. So if you don't get an immediate answer, it doesn't mean you weren't heard — it means we're following the rules that keep the process open. Your comments genuinely shape what ends up on future agendas.
Talk to Me About an Issue
You don't have to wait for a meeting to reach me. If something is on your mind — an idea, a concern, a question about how the town works — I want to hear it. Some of the most useful conversations I have happen one-on-one, long before an item ever reaches a Council agenda.
Email is the surest way to reach me directly. Tell me what you're seeing, what you'd like the town to consider, and how to follow up with you. I read everything that comes in.
The Best Thing You Can Do? Show Up.
A packed room changes the conversation. When residents come to meetings, speak during the Call to the Public, and stay informed, the whole town governs better. Bring a neighbor, come see a working session, and don't be shy about walking up to the podium. This is your town — I'm just honored to help run it.