March 2013

How do SF School Board members get paid? And how much?

SF School Board members don’t get a set pay, they get paid $75 for attending ‘meetings’. They do have to submit when they attended an event, I believe with the finance office, and they can also choose not to submit, like attending a football game, etc.

I added up what the school board members made between July 2012 – December 2012 (six months).

Some of the interesting events they asked for a $75 meeting payment on were things like ‘new teacher breakfast’ (all attended except Morrison), a ribbon cutting (all attended except Parker), back to school greeting (Parker, Thoelke), several miscellaneous meetings with Homan (ALL), Chamber Annual Meeting (ALL claimed except Morrison), Westra got paid for every single Sports Authority meetings she attended, she also submitted and got paid for attending a Chamber Mixer.

MEETING REIMBURSEMENT BETWEEN JULY-DECEMBER 2012

Westra $3075

Parker $2775

Tholeke $2625

Alberty $2550

Morrison $2250

Trust me, I would rather see them just be paid a flat salary, like $5000 a year. It is not a lucrative political job by any means. But the $75 per meeting payment plan is kinda silly when you can call having a drink at a Chamber Mixer, a meeting.

Red Light Cameras, trouble all over the country

These things need to be taken out;

If you happen to drive too fast through Elmwood Place, Ohio, the cards are stacked against you, according to a judge who calls the village’s automated speeding camera “a scam that motorists can’t win.”

Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Robert Ruehlman on Thursday ruled that the village’s ordinance violated due process. He issued an injunction barring its enforcement.

There have been numerous legal challenges across the U.S. to red-light camera laws but observers said this is the first ruling they know of striking down a municipality’s speeding-camera law.

“Speed-camera cases have been litigated but we have not come across one where a judge has said, ‘Stop this,'” attorney Mike Allen, whose firm brought the case, told MSN News on Friday. “I think it’s going to touch off a firestorm around the country. I really do.”

The ‘Chicken & Goats’ ordinance finally makes it to council

Who wants to slaughter something so cute (and really not that tasty)?

Here are the proposed major changes to city ordinance over keeping livestock within city limits;

NONDOMESTIC ANIMAL. Any animal that is not domestic.

Glad they cleared that one up. LOL!

(1) A maximum of six animals may be kept on personal land in the city.

Slaughter of animals is prohibited. This prohibition shall not include slaughter as part of any research, educational instruction, stockyard, or slaughterhouse.

All applications for license certificates must be accompanied by a written consent of at least 80 percent of the owners of the several descriptions of real estate situated within 100 feet of the applicant’s real estate and the appropriate fee. Upon the city’s approval of the required application, the city shall issue a license certificate. The license shall specify any restrictions, limitations, conditions, or prohibitions required by the city. The license may be modified or revoked by the city for failure to conform to such restrictions, limitations, conditions, or prohibitions including, but not limited to, noise and odor.

While I agree there should be some kind of limit to how many livestock animals you can have, and having a license, I am admantly against asking permission from your neighbors. If your animals become a nuisance, your neighbors can issue a complaint, but getting there permission is silly. Do you have to get your neighbor’s permission to repaint your house a different color? I think we are going down a slippery slope if we all this part of the ordinance to stand.

UPDATED: Forum Response . . .

Got this interesting email after forum, by someone who has worked in government for several years;

Your mentioning the fictitious name issue and Pat Powers yesterday brought a question to mind — fictitious names can be filed with either the Secretary of State or any county register of deeds in the state.  Have you verified that PP did not file in Brookings, Hughes, or any other county?

This is in response to a Democratic Forum attendee (attorney) who questioned if Pat Powers ever registered his name, or a fictitious ‘business’ name for Dakota Campaign Store in Brookings or Hughes county. It is a misdeameanor to not register your business with the SOS of state’s office, if your business is not named after your own name. I know we have talked about this in the past . . .