By Branden Bieber – April 30, 2022
The Del Norte County Board of Supervisors (BOS) are abusing the Consent Agenda during meetings to progress the expanse of Government!
Del Norte residents have less disposable income, while government throws good money at bad financial decisions!
Too bad, we have to wait until January before new leadership can exert change. Hopefully, it’s not too late!
Or, maybe we don’t have to wait! Do you have a voice?
If so, I encourage you to express your perspective.
Submit your experiences to have them heard publicly, or show up to the next BOS meeting.
I’ll be asking the County to act responsibly, although It’s a foolish request. Instead, they will continue to approve consent items far from consensual. They’ll continue to blame other Government entities for their lack of action. They will create new Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) positions, create more problems, more expenditures, more government overreach, and more pay raises. Then, they’ll claim immunity of accountability, and impose more taxes.
If you have comments, be advised that the County should be revising their agenda instructions. Not likely there ever were instructions! Also, not likely any citizens care to comment.
I wanted to comment at the April 26th meeting, and the BOS didn’t like that I had a grievance with more than one consent item. The BOS refused to hear the data I had to present and would not allow me an additional two minutes. I’ve been asking the County for almost two month’s for instructions to comment, and still nothing. If they ever produce instructions, the new document will likely say “only action items will be allowed three minutes.” This is a change from the current “three minutes per agenda item” stated on the BOS’s Agenda. The County will insert “action” to the agenda comment paragraph so the BOS’s one vote will nullify citizen’s ability to have more than one complaint. They will interpret consent agenda items (between 12-25 topics) as the action of one vote. While constituents with two questions will have to pick one to discuss, BOS members will be allowed to pull multiple items. Hypocritical, but typical of their authoritarian leadership. I would argue that each numbered topic is an item requiring action. We’ll see how the “Independent” Council writes the new agenda.
This is not an insignificant detail. This BOS has a history of limiting Constitutional Freedoms and expanding the “Well-Fare” Economy. This debate illustrates the BOS’s inability to restrain itself. Imposing increasing hardships on citizens who care to comment on our community’s well-being does not represent transparency. The suppression of public comments (when anyone does show up) demonstrate the Board’s inability to judge perspectives contrary to their failing public policy.
