Monday night, the public is invited to attend the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners regular meeting. The public is always invited to attend these meetings. Most people, however, don’t.

Monday night’s meeting isn’t really a regular meeting. It’s also the public hearing for the next fiscal year’s budget. This is government at work — the budget is something that affects every resident of Beaufort County in some way or other, and the body that oversees the budget is asking for input.

They want to know what people think about what they’ve chosen to fund and how they fund it.

Often, government operates in a vacuum. There is no feedback from the public unless and until government officials do something to which they object. But keeping elected officials informed about what the average person thinks about decisions made behind the dais is vital to helping those officials make choices that represent all and not just a few.

It takes work to be involved. Being involved includes dedicating a certain amount of time to studying the issues. It may take research and educating oneself as to how past decisions have informed present ones. It takes showing up and letting one’s voice be heard — through phone call, email or public comment.

That’s what Monday night’s meeting is about: giving the people of Beaufort County a chance to be heard. It’s also an opportunity to hear what other residents think about issues on agenda, and items in the budget.

Commissioners may pass the 2017-18 budget at the meeting, so Monday night may also be the last chance to speak on what could define how and where the county spends taxpayer dollars from July 1 to June 30, 2018.

The meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. in the Superior Courtroom of the Beaufort County Courthouse, a deliberate change of venue to provide seating for many more people than can fit in the boardroom of county’s administrative office.

They’re expecting a crowd — a crowd that is informed; a crowd that is involved. They’re looking for a crowd that cares to have a say in what happens.