August 3 city council meeting notes, part two: Communications from the mayor and city officials.

My notes as hastily scribbled last night in the absence of a signal, presumably because Dan Coffey jammed it with twine and used Bazooka college degrees/gum wrappers.

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Communications from city officials

Pat McLaughlin: Very dire need with the water problems. Refers back to decisions to fund police. Thanks the council needs to move on it.

John Gonder: Housekeeping … John Rosenbarger contacted him about the tree board, which could receive a grant if one is constituted. Reads a resolution into the record from the Carnegie Center (regarding the Coyle building). What positive steps can we take to help these people? Mentions e coli, and references residents of long standing noting changes. Moratorium on building permits until the stormwater master plan is completed and judges to be sufficient? Gonder supports something like this. “Put the brakes on.”

Benedetti: Has read the ordinance. In work session, it becomes clear that the ordinance needs to read “under an acre,” meaning that the council would be able to peruse it (I believe) – can’t take away the right of a developer to agree to changes … okay, I don’t know what she’s trying to say.

Gonder and Benedetti discuss lot sizes and who reviews construction, and who should or should not build retention or detention ponds. She scheduled the work session because you “can’t punish every body because some developers do it right.”

Gonder: Take a look at development. Too many variables. We don’t know what it is, so should hold off building new houses.

Steve Price: What struck him was people saying when things got built, it got a little worse. Can you redo things already built, make it better or something? (stream of consciousness, hopscotch, whine)

Gahan: Committees? Tabling things tonight?

Coffey: “We’re going to have to come to grips.” Believes that developers hire engineering firms to tell them what they want to hear, and therefore, the council has to protect people from them.

Coffey: Describes another committee. He has talked to the county commissioners about a joint storm water committee to come up with “concrete” in 30-45 days.

Gonder: Tree board?

Coffey: Under appointments.

Gahan: Wants to bring the county in on a rate change, too, if city council will talk about a rate increase tonight. They need to do it there, too. “We’ve got a mess there.”

Coffey: Maybe we can’t bring them together. Not for any rate increases until we take what we’ve got and get something done in the creeks, etc.

Coffey: Indicates that he cannot support any rate increases of any sort.

Mayor’s communication

England: (To Coffey) I see what your vote is, so now I don’t have to bother …

England: Describes the stormwater utility takeover. Has assigned engineers, not political. Educated people who know what they’re doing. “What we’ve got is picks and shovels.” We’re trying. It’s not anyone’s fault, but it’s all of our fault because the rate is too low. It cannot be done with what we’ve got. Must raise the fee to have enough money to get something fixed. Taxes barely pay for police and fire. Absence of gas money meant paring the street department back. A couple of these rates have not been raised for six to eight years.

No new taxes, no new fees. Fees for services, not taxes. It is a service, not being paid for out of taxes. No new fees, but raising them to where they are effective. Erika spouts off in the rear. She was out front smoking before the meeting.

Work on the creeks wasn’t done. Give us a chance and give us the tools to do something.

Feisty old dude again: “We give you the raise … when are you going to start cleaning them? The guy before you and the woman before that didn’t do anything."

Engineer says he has the documentation to prove they’re working.

Woman says nothing is being done behind her house.

England: Only been on it for a couple months (since EMC was canned). “I resent” some of the things I’ve heard, you can’t “scare me politically.” Faces to the FOX news woman and says that he won't be intimidated by news teams.

England: “You can kick all our asses out in two and a half years.”

Describes the garbage fee disparity. “I didn’t bid these contracts, I inherited these contracts.”

“There’s no free lunches.”

“Think about what’s right for the city.”

Coffey: Giving up a new parking garage is called a “priority.” Always back to the new parking garage. “You don’t take away from another fund.”

England: (sarcastically) “Let’s keep on doing it your way, Dan.”

Benedetti: I had a phone call today from an elderly woman who didn’t understand the fees for the garbage. Would something be able to be done for fixed income people who don’t fill their cans up? Like color the cans differently depending on use?

England: Colored cans, a great idea. Could happen if we make things self-supporting.

Much other talk but I got bored. It transpires that a rep from Got Junk is in the room and says his company can pick up all the yard waste and junk for $1.50 a month. England seems delighted and says they'll look into it.

(end part two)