By the time the doors opened at six on Tuesday evening, the hall was already half full. Market women in matching lappa, students in school uniforms, drivers still in their day clothes — they had come to ask questions, and they wanted answers on the record. **Voice of Sinoe** carried the conversation live on 88.3 MHz for those who could not make the trip into Greenville.
The agenda was simple but the room was not. Three items: the state of the county road network, the school feeding program, and the proposed 2026 budget. Officials from the Ministry of Public Works, the County Education Office and the Superintendent’s office sat in a line at the front. Citizens filled every other seat.
## The roads no one is fixing
The first question, from a trader who travels weekly between Greenville and Pyne Town, cut to the point: a stretch of road washed out two rainy seasons ago is still washed out. She had photos on her phone. She passed them up the line.
> “We are not asking for tar. We are asking for the road to exist. If the road exists, we can carry our goods. If we can carry our goods, the children can eat.”
Engineer Marcus Doe, speaking for Public Works, acknowledged the backlog and pointed to the rainy-season schedule. A second engineer promised a site visit before the end of the month. Citizens asked for that promise in writing. The Superintendent agreed it would be posted on the county notice board within the week.
## School feeding, school funding
The second hour was harder. Three primary schools in the lower districts had not received their feeding allocations for the term. A parent stood and read out a list of dates. Officials checked their files. There was a delay, they said, at the central treasury. The room did not accept the explanation easily.
The Education Officer also announced that civic education will be added to the morning assembly curriculum from September — a commitment that drew quiet applause and a scattering of skeptical murmurs.
## The budget question
By the time the budget came up, the room had settled. Numbers were read out, lines were explained, and the Superintendent invited written submissions for the final draft. Voice of Sinoe will host a phone-in special on the budget next Wednesday at 7pm.
Town halls are messy by design. They are also one of the few places where the people who pay for a county and the people who run it sit in the same room and look at each other. On Tuesday night, that room was full.
