OPINION PIECE BY DONNA WESTFALL
I was chatting with my friend last night who lives out of town and is knowledgable about all sorts of things like training grand juries and how city’s can pull a fast one over the public by wording agenda items to mislead.
I ran this by her. Agenda Item #14 on Tuesday’s Crescent City’s, City Council packet was so misleading, I thought, that several astute people didn’t attend the meeting thinking there was nothing to object to or speak about. Indeed it was all about passing a 25% sewer rate increase at 5% a year for five years . But instead this is how it was listed:
CONSIDER AND ADOPT THE SEWER FUND REVENUE SUFFICIENCY ANALYSIS AND DIRECT THE CITY MANAGER TO PROCEED WITH NEXT STEPS, TAKE ACTION AS NECESSARY AND APPROPRIATE
Now, if no one had read the many pages provided on-line at crescentcity.org (minutes/agenda under City Council heading) attended the meeting, sat in the audience, and got up to share their concerns about the rate hike, I would bet money that the City Council would have passed the rate increase.
What to do?
“Issue a Cure and Correct notice to the City and they have 30 days to comply,” she said. According to the Brown Act, she’s partially correct but not 100% correct. They had to have taken an action. The city council, upon hearing many people objecting to more increases in sewer rates, decided to take no action. So, no Cure and Correct notice will be sent.
However, I would hope that someone at the City or on the City Council reading this will take heed to hold them accountable and tell them to stop acting sneaky, conniving and unprofessional.
One last thought. The video recording at the council meeting does not catch the smirks and snarky facial contortions made by some council members and the attorney during the public’s 3 minute comment. It’s time to bring in our own videographer so the public can understand exactly what unprofessional looks like in living color.
thank you for bringing this sneakiness up for discussion.
Sometimes there will be 3 or 4 of these 50 – to 150 paged
documents hidden on the side of the agenda. BOS documents are on some kind of photo format that I can’t copy like normal. Also be aware they are hooking up with joint power entities. They now have a Hazard ANNEXATION AND ARE
PRESENTING IT AT LAST WEEKS MEETINGS. “IT WILL SAVE MONEY BECAUSE WE CAN SHARE HAZARD EQUIPMENT. THINK ABOUT ALL THE CITIES INVOLVED BETWEEN HUMBOLT AND DNC AND WHERE EVER ELSE THEY HAVE PARTNERED UP. AND MEETINGS AT WHICH EVER LOCATION IS MOST INCONVENIENT AND THE INCREASE IN TAXES.
HOWARD JARVIS SITE YESTERDAY, HAS A LIST OF BILLS COMING UP TO BE VOTED ON THAT THREATEN TO WEAKEN OR ELIMINATE 218 AND 13. THEY HAVE MADE A REPORT CARD FOR THE ASSEMBLY AND STATE SENATORS ON THE WAY THEY VOTE THAT FOCUSES ON INCREASING OR DECREASING PERSONAL AND PROPERTY TAXES.SOME BILLS ARE TRYING TO DECREASE THE % OF VOTES TO WIN. initiative: HOW FEASIBLE TO HAVE AN INITIATIVE ON HOW MANY DAYS AGENDA MUST BE POSTED DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH MONEY INVOLVED EXAMPLE:AGENDA MUST BE POSTED 7 DAYS FOR EVERY $50,000-100,000 AND A VOTE OR DISCUSSION WITH THE PUBLIC FOR THE AMOUNT THEY WANT TO SPEND. THE MORE MONEY THE LONGER TIME THE PUBLIC HAS TO REASEARCH THE PROJECT.