I was at a Zoning Committee meeting. Someone was requesting an extension of a Conditional Use Permit. He asked the Chairman if he would like to see some pictures of the project. The Chairman responded “we like pictures.”

Never ever forget that.

If you ever have to present your case at a zoning meeting (or any other meeting for that fact) and pictures might help … bring the pictures.

Local government officials like pictures.

Someone needs a new City Administrator, or new rules, or something.

That someone is Sartell, MN.

The St. Cloud Times reports…

But in Sartell, the council has opted to omit one common ingredient.

Somewhere between the Pledge of Allegiance and adjournment, most area city councils include a public comment period. The brief segment of the meeting gives residents a chance to talk directly to council members about any topic they choose, from budget decisions to potholes.

Alone among a dozen area cities, Sartell doesn’t have an open comment period at its council meetings. Instead, the first point of contact for residents is often with staff at City Hall.

City Administrator Patti Gartland says that approach is more efficient, allowing staff to determine what type of action is required.

“A lot of the time we’re able to address the issue with the person,” Gartland said. “It may not be a policy issue. It may be an operations issue that doesn’t need council attention.”

When issues arise that do require council action, Gartland said they are placed on the council agenda.

Sartell Council Member Joe Perske said he appreciates the information that city staff provides, but he has some concerns about the system. He said getting a topic on the council’s agenda is not always easy.

“Often that never happens,” Perske said. “They’re told, ‘We can’t put that on the agenda because it’s not the right time for this topic. It will come up in the fall or the next bonding cycle. Even as a council member my requests to put topics on the agenda are sometimes dismissed.”

Whoa!

Citizens aren’t allowed to speak to the entire city council and council members requests for agenda items are denied … and the City Administrator says the system is “efficient?”

Let’s just say I wouldn’t be a very obedient citizen of Sartell if I lived there.

It irks me when I read about a local official who does something dumb. Really dumb.

After all fighting dumb is what “Why Your City Council Makes Dumb Decisions and What You Can Do About It” is all about.

Then I read this from Orland, CA …

Mayor Wade Elliott’s suggestion to move City Council meetings from Monday to Tuesday nights was rejected by his colleagues this week.

Elliott brought the proposal up during the council’s comment period – even making a motion to adopt it – but it did not go far.

Elliott also asked to change the meeting time to 6 p.m. in order to get everybody home earlier, he said. Councilman Bruce Roundy advised him the change had not been agendized for action, so a vote could not be taken at Tuesday night’s council meeting.

Now I don’t give a hoot if Orland, CA holds their meetings on Monday or Tuesday. Or, what time they hold their meetings.

But a Mayor makes a motion on an issue that isn’t on the agenda?

It just makes me want to scream!

It gives all Mayors a bad name.

Here we go again…

Fresno, California (KFSN) — Fresno’s City Council is coming under fire for praying before its meetings. A group of non-believers claims the prayers are unconstitutional and they’re threatening to sue the city. But Council members are defiant and vowing to fight.

Can’t we get over this?

There have been legal challenges to prayer at government functions and ABC30 Legal Analyst Tony Capozzi said the Supreme Court has been clear in its response.

“The fact that they invoked Jesus Christ doesn’t mean they’re promoting a religion,” he said.

But Capozzi said the Council has to walk a fine line, making sure it invites members of different faiths to give the invocation.

The atheist group said it’s nearly impossible to represent all faiths, as well as people without faith.

Here it is if anyone wants to read it …Supreme Court decision  Marsh v. Chambers.

Congress opens with a prayer. State legislators start with a prayer. City Councils can start with a prayer.

Would you pay $40 to hear your Mayor deliver the State of the City address?

He or she would have to be really entertaining wouldn’t they? Even then forty bucks … Nah.

According to the Modesto Bee such a plot was uncovered in Modesto.

Modesto leaders sent mixed messages this week about the mayor’s State of the City address, calling it a City Council meeting and then changing course to avoid breaking an open government law.

The state’s Ralph M. Brown Act prohibits city councils from charging admission to their meetings. But Modesto appeared to be doing just that when it called Mayor Jim Ridenour’s annual speech a City Council meeting.

Ridenour is delivering the speech at a Feb. 17 Chamber of Commerce luncheon that costs $40 to attend. Because the City Council is expected to attend, the city clerk sent out a public notice calling the event a council meeting and listing one agenda item: the State of the City speech.

That put the city on the wrong side of the Brown Act, which says it’s illegal for city councils to hold meetings in facilities that bar people on the basis of race, gender, religion or “where members of the public may not be present without making a payment or purchase.”

Brown Act expert Peter Scheer, executive director of the California First Amendment Coalition, said Modesto could avoid the violation if it let the public listen to the speech without paying the $40 lunch fee.

“While they can offer things there like lunch or coffee for a fee, the part that they can’t charge for is admission,” Scheer said. “That has to be permitted for free. This is either a situation where they are required literally to provide a free lunch or they have to have a mechanism where people can opt out of eating.”

Past State of the City speeches have been sparsely attended, aside from government employees, their families and a few business leaders. Organizers of this year’s event say they hope to bring the speech to a wider audience.

Let’s see … Sparsely attended in the past when the speeches were free and they hoped for a larger crowd by charging $40?

Even if this wasn’t illegal, the idea was ill conceived from the start.

Can a Local Government Committee take votes by secret via email?

Some people in Racine believed they could.

Then to reaffirm that illegal email vote, they took another vote under “Old Business” on their next agenda.

Strike Two!

But it was just unintentional mistake. Sure.

State laws do vary but this is pretty basic.  Email votes are not legal.

Don’t even ask.

Sometimes a City Council has what they believe is a good idea. Then they try it.

This brings us to Spartanburg, SC. where Tammy tells the story…

City Council is going to start holding workshops every fourth Monday during City Council meetings. The purpose of the workshop is for Council and the public to have an in-depth learning experience about a particular issue facing the City. The workshop will last about 30 minutes. This week’s workshop is about Stormwater Utility.

Now…you may think to yourself…that doesn’t sound very interesting and well…hey, it may not be. BUT, if you want to understand more about what’s going on in your community learning about stormwater utility is important because it is something that MUST be addressed and it is expensive and it’s even more expensive if we’re not proactive.

Tammy, Tammy, Tammy, a workshop about Stormwater Utilities?

Yes, it is important. Yes, it is expensive.

But starting a new workshop program with riveting Stormwater Utility issues?

Good luck Spartanburg. I hope you pack them in.

But, I doubt it.

It’s like talking to a fence post.

Does your city council start their meeting with a prayer? It’s been done for a couple hundred years in many places.

Tampa is arguing over this issue.

“I’m not sure you realize how repugnant and degrading your opening prayers are for those of us without superstition,” said Frank Prahl. “Why should you waste your time and insult people who don’t believe as you do?”

He suggested starting meetings with simple words of inspiration, perhaps a short story or a poem.

I personally don’t believe as they do. I consider myself an Agnostic. But, I do no find prayers “repugnant and degrading.” I am also not insulted. If nothing else it is tradition and I have nothing against traditions.  I would much rather listen to a prayer than be forced to listen to some dumb poem someone else thinks is inspirational.

So, just for the record, make no mistake about it, this Agnostic votes prayer over poem to start a local government meeting.

Followed by the Pledge  of Allegiance to tweak those non-believers.

What say you?

When is the public allowed to speak at a local government meeting and how long are they allowed to speak at that meeting … those are the questions?

Joe Guarino tells us what is happening in Greensboro. They are moving the public speakers from the beginning of the meeting to the end and also limit the time a speaker can talk.

I definitely believe that the time given to a speaker must be limited. I have heard my share of rambling nonsense from the podium. If I want to speak at my City Council I am limited to three minutes.

But moving the public speaker segment to the end of the meeting? After the  decisions of the meeting have been made? I can’t go along with that idea.

How about you? What do you think?

What are your City Council rules on this subject?

I admit it, I don’t know everything about politics.

In fact I was stunned when I learned that a Governor (at least in one state) can suspend a City Council Representative.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.– The city council was short a member at Tuesday night’s meeting. Council member John Meserve was suspended by Florida Governor Charlie Crist about half an hour before the council meeting.

Meserve is facing charges of brokering and selling real estate in Mayport without a license.

Is this one of those things that somehow just escaped me for all these years?

Can every Governor suspend an Alderman?

Can those same Governors suspend a County Board Supervisor?

Can your Governor do these things?

Let me know.

Paper or plastic normally refers to bags. 

But not this time.

Cincinnati won’t buy Kindle e-readers for all its elected officials after all – backlash over the new technology appears to have killed the idea a majority of council approved last month.

Among the budget cuts voted for by five members of council after contentious budget talks was $22,662 in annual savings found by canceling hundreds of copies of council documents. Buying the Kindle DXs for document reading would have cost $7,200 instead. Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls, who already has a Kindle, pitched the idea as a saver of money and copying time.

But now, after council members including Republicans Leslie Ghiz and Charlie Winburn blasted the Kindle purchase and said they didn’t want one, each council member will decide whether he or she wants one, Councilwoman Laketa Cole said.

If those who oppose the Kindles still want to print out their agendas and ordinances, they’ll have to pay the city clerk’s office for every page after January. How much each page will cost should be determined this week.

Printing out copies defeats the purpose, said Cole, chairwoman of council’s finance committee. That’s because the copying costs council tried to cut still will be borne by the taxpayers – just via some council members’ office budgets rather than the clerk’s budget.

“Didn’t citizens tell us to think outside the box?” Cole said.

Has any other local government tried to go Kindle? It certainly looks to me to be an idea worth pursuing.

How about it students?

Paper or plastic screen?

Rules for “Public Appearances” at local government meetings are different all over.

One thing that never changes is the “public” is invited to speak … then for the most part are ignored.

Here is one man’s story from Vancouver…

Surely the most bizarre  exchange had to have been with Cllr Stevenson who stated that there were no inefficiencies in the city so no savings could be made there–this after City Council spent tens of thousands of dollars on a Core Services review to find inefficiencies and duplications. If there are no inefficiencies does Cllr Stevenson think this was tax dollars well spent?

The next Government Meetings Class will include time to practice nodding your head in agreement with citizen speakers … when you really don’t.

One of the suggestions I make in the ebook “Why Your City Council Makes Dumb Mistakes and What You Can Do About It” is for citizens to attend one meeting a year to watch-listen-learn. I also note that everyone does a little better job doing anything if they have someone watching them.I am not alone in that thinking.

I found this blog encouraging citizens to attend meeting …

Even if you don’t have anything to say, attending these meetings lets the City Council, LAPD, and city departments know that these issues are important to a broad group of LA citizens.

I agree whole heartily.

There is nothing like the whites of yours eyes at meetings showing local elected officials you are watching. Many times you need not say a word … just be there.

If you haven’t downloaded “Why Your City Counicl Makes Dumb Decisions and What You Can Do About It” … you should. It explains it all.

It’s Free and it’s right here.

Heres’ something a little different being tried in Worchester, MA by blogger Chris Pearson.

A Live Blog from City Hall!

Minute by minute Chris details what is happening with the council chambers.

7:09: It begins! It’s crowded and busy out in the hallway, and there’s a good-sized crowd in the seats

7:10: Eddy starts us off with a resolution to honoring judge, city councilor, and mayor Paul Mullaney for his commitment to the community, and his 90th birthday. ”It’s far too often that we don’t speak enough about the people who made this city what it is today,” says Eddy.

7:13: Mullaney speaks. “It gives me a great feeling for Thanksgiving and the holidays to follow.” He attributes his long life to never having a cigarette and adds “I never had a drink of alcohol–until I got to the city council.”

And on and on it goes throughout the entire meeting. Obviously if you know the characters it would make the blog more interesting.

Has anyone else tried this? Seen it attempted?

It sounds like a good discussion topic for the Government Meetings class.

I attended a County Comprehensive Planning Committee yesterday. The committee was reviewing the boring narrative of one of the chapters. It was necessary work that needed to be done. The committee was mainly reviewing the information for accuracy and clarity.

Many times on a committee such as this there is one person who is also a wordsmith.  This time it was a retired teacher. They have a tough job. They are itching to correct every bad comma and semicolon but don’t want to be a pain in the butt about it.

I want to take this time to honor all those wordsmiths who do the job that needs to be done in public documents. It’s a dirty job but someone has to do it.

You did it well Waldo. You did it well.

Which is better, aldermen elected by wards, at large or a combination of both? This issue was discussed by the Academy’s Philosophy Class. The issue specifically dealt with the City of New Brunswick.

NEW BRUNSWICK — Call it the $100,000 question.

That’s the amount New Brunswick has spent in legal fees over the past year and a half to unsuccessfully block a group of residents from getting a question on the November ballot, one that asks whether to divide the city into wards for city council elections.

Now the city has tapped out its legal options and the question will be put to voters Nov. 3.

Critics call the city’s legal tactics a waste of taxpayer money. City officials say they’re just following the law. Political experts disagree on whether the city’s fight is over the top.

Since last fall, the city has lost three rounds of lawsuits with Empower Our Neighborhoods, or EON, involving petitions of residents’ signatures filed to the city.

“They’re fighting the members of the community they’re supposed to represent,” said Martin Perez, director of Coalition For Democracy, an umbrella group formed last month representing diverse city groups including EON.

Perez characterized the city’s legal battle as “incredible, callous and a waste of taxpayer money.”

Currently, all five of New Brunswick’s council members are elected at-large. The ballot question will ask whether the council should be expanded to nine members, with six elected by ward and three elected at-large. Voters were posed that exact question once before, in 1986, when a local group in New Brunswick put the initiative on the ballot, but voters rejected it, 3,765 to 2,510.

This is a philosophical question where there is no right or wrong answer. Over the long run it makes no difference if a city council is divided by wards or all/some of the members are elected at large.  It is believed that by changing from one system to another it will increase the number of citizens running for those positions.

What normally happens is that for the first election cycle or two there is an increase in number of city council candidates. Then the newness wears off and soon the city is back to the same apathetic state it was prior to the change. 

Sigh …

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I was having a new blog site designed. Well, here it is. I hope you like it. I sure do.

You will notice on the right sidebar, a box which will take you to my new ebook  WHY YOUR CITY COUNCIL MAKES DUMB DECISIONS … AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT. It’s free! There is no reason not for anyone to download and read it. Pass it on to friends and family. Post a link on your website or blog.

If prior to reading this ebook you wish to nominate me for the Nobel Prize for Literature you can find that nomination procedure here. 

After reading,  any and all comments would be appreciated.

A couple days ago I wrote about some problems in Lake Geneva, WI.

The Mayor had suspended four Council members for misconduct in office.  I still doubt the legality of a Mayor suspending fellow elected representatives, but he did.

Well, here is the latest from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel…

The remaining members of the Lake Geneva City Council took a pass Monday at appointing replacements for four members suspended by Mayor William P. Chesen after deciding there weren’t enough non-suspended members at their meeting to form a quorum.

The action followed a request for a restraining order against the appointments by suspended Aldermen Penny Roehrer, Mary Jo Fesenmaier, Arleen Krohn and Thomas Spellman in Walworth County Circuit Court, according to their attorney David Williams.

“It appears that without a quorum you can’t conduct business,” Williams said after the meeting. “The city is in a bit of a pickle here.”

Chesen suspended the four Thursday, alleging misconduct in public office and violations of open meetings laws.

But the suspended council members say the suspensions were retribution for their voting to appoint former Mayor Spyros Condos, a political rival of Chesen, to replace former Ald. Gary Dunham, who resigned last month.

The suspended aldermen also filed a lawsuit in circuit court challenging the suspensions, Williams said.

Circuit Judge John Race is expected to schedule a hearing on the request for the restraining order within the next several days, he said.

Chesen, who could not be reached Monday night, has scheduled a “removal from office” hearing for the suspended council members on Sept. 23.

It’s unclear how that hearing could be held if there are not enough council members present for a quorum, Williams said.

You just can’t make this stuff up.

Oh, how I wish I could be at that meeting on the 23rd!

I have to tell you this is a new one on me. I wasn’t aware a Mayor had this power.

Lake Geneva’s mayor has suspended four members of the Common Council, accusing them of neglecting their duties and violating open meetings laws.

Mayor William P. Chesen also accused the four – Penny Roehrer, Mary Jo Fesenmaier, Arleen Krohn and Thomas Spellman – of creating “inefficiencies for staff and the citizens,” according to the suspension orders.

A Mayor suspending Council Representative for neglecting their duties? Creating inefficiencies for staff and citizens?

Could this story get any screwier?

The move came on the same day former Mayor Beatrice Dale and others launched a recall drive against Roehrer and Spellman, accusing them of not voting “according to the wishes” of their constituents.

 Roehrer, Krohn and Spellman said the suspensions and recall drive are payback for their vote, along with Fesenmaier’s, to appoint former Mayor Spyro Condos to a vacant council seat rather than schedule a special election.

Spellman said Condos’ appointment gives development opponents a 5-3 majority on the council. That’s something Chesen and development proponents won’t stand for, Spellman said.

Condos also is the target of the recall effort.

Dale initiated a successful recall drive that ousted Condos from the mayor’s office in 2001 amid accusations of unauthorized spending and other abuses that were disputed by the incumbent.

Chesen scheduled a “removal from office” hearing for Sept. 23.

It should be one hellofa meeting.

I was in a meeting with a couple of City Council Representatives. The wording of a motion was brought up in the discussion.

Council Representative #1 says, “That’s not what we voted on.”

Council Representative #2 pulls out the minutes and reads the motion word for word.

Council Representative #1 replies, “Huh, I didn’t know that.”

I just shook my head.

I’m still shaking it.

I was at a County Zoning Meeting.

The discussion was centered on if the Zoning and Planning Director should attend the State Convention of Zoning and Planning Directors.

One member said, “I don’t want her going somewhere, learning something new and trying to bring it back here.”

What did we do before the Internet? 

No really, what did we do before the Internet? 

I am speaking specifically about local government attempting to keep citizens informed.

Now, practically every unit of government has a website and if they don’t they should.

But, how good are those websites? Do they have the information on the websites that the public wants and needs?

Sunshine Online to the rescue! 

The My Government Website project evaluates the information governments post on their websites at the statewide, county, city and school districtlevel. We evaluate websites based on Sunshine Review’s transparency checklist, which checks for basic information such as meeting minutes, budgets, audits, and how to contact elected officials.

This project was recently completed evaluations for all 3,140 counties in the U.S.. Below are the 10 states with most transparent county governments; Arizona ranks highest at 65 percent. The scores reveal that all our communities need more transparency.

This website rates every county in the country as to how informational their website is for their citizens.

Look your county up. See how they are doing.

Happy reading!

Yesterday I took my own advice.

On page 12 of Moving Mountains and Molehills Local Politics 101 I encourage the use of  “Thank You.”

Last week my Mayor was instrumental in killing a project which I opposed. He deserved a Thank You.

It is easy to bitch about elected officials when they are doing something we don’t agree with. In order to make those bitches more effective we need to spread “Thank You” around when appropriate.

It’s the little things that count sometimes.