Do you want to see what a Huether Public Input is going to be if given a chance? Watch the Sioux Falls REMSA (Regional Emergency Management Service Authority) board from July 26, 2017 to find out. What good is government if it is done behind closed doors with no chance for the people to have a voice for their concerns?
The June 2017 REMSA board meeting got out of control with the people who showed up to talk about the crappy wambulance service provider. You know the one, the service who has Metro Communication (911 EMS) dispatch Phantom ambulances to priority calls so they can finish their Subway sandwiches during a priority call heart attack incident.
Look at these new rules:
1. You will be able to speak only once in three months
2. You will be able to speak for only three minutes
3. Public Input will be at the end of the meeting
4. Public Input will be limited to the time available
5. If Public Input is too long, they will stop it
6. If there is an executive session scheduled, there might not be a Public Input period at all
What is going on? Why should a board of citizens who are afraid of our cameras be allowed to shut down the public’s ability to have a voice. These people, by their own admissions, are not experts in the way the system works. Why shouldn’t we be allowed to show up, ask for help and or give advice to fix the system?
There is more to catch in this video, how about 97% and better response times for ambulances. They don’t tell us how they do it in the 711 page contract but we are figuring it out. We’ll keep letting all know as we can release more information.
One thing about attending these “open” meetings with the chief number one attorney for the city. It gets stuffy when he allows the doors to closed so the public doesn’t come in. There is a little inconvenient South Dakota law requiring the door to be opened during government meetings to allow the public to freely enter and leave the room. The only time the door can be closed is during the Executive sessions for 1) contract negotiations, 2) personnel issues and pending litigation. There was a violation of the statute, care for a photo?
I normally prop the door open when I go to these meetings.
If there is noise in the hallways, who cares. The meeting planners should have thought about this problem.
As the only public attending this meeting I found it interesting our fine City Attorney was there. Would catch them or even care if they were breaking state law?
Nope, he did decide at one point to get out of his chair and stand to my camera’s right to probably watch me better. I caught him looking at my equipment a few times. Funny how they try to sneak around and yet fail.
Pass out in the hot room and see how long it takes for an ambulance to arrive. The city attorney sounds like that truck driver in Texas with 50 illegals in his hot trailer.
Oh the arrogance. Notice they talked about the volunteers of the public board have ‘other jobs’ and they should not be inconvenienced by ‘public input’. What if a citizen takes off work to speak at a meeting, has to wait for 45 minutes and than can’t speak because they close off testimony. Whether you are appointed or elected, paid or unpaid to serve on public boards, your job is the same SERVING THE PUBLIC.
Ironically, the changes they made to public input are the same changes the mayor would like to make to the council meetings. As I have told several councilors, WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER!
What is the point of these meetings? To eat? The ‘hum’ was nothing compared to all the chomping and chewing going on! Gross! Have these people thought about eating a quick bite BEFORE the meeting?
Hey, Hey, Hey, Lemming! These people are volunteers that have other jobs, they have to be allowed to eat at these meetings, that, and the city is probably buying that lunch. I know that when the EC task force met (The last one Munson had) they always got either sandwiches or pizza fed to them provided by the city. I was always stick around until the end and they would offer the leftovers to the peasants.
The city supplies the attendees with a meal. Most arrive before the meeting starts to eat and then have the meeting. The meeting attendees usually are in the room for 1 1/2 to 2 hours to eat, meet and then socialize.
As the Chair noted in the December 2016 meeting when they voted down the city sponsored video recording, this is a “collegial” group.
The solution here is a veggie appetizer. Then you get rid of the board member gluttons and attract intelligent practical conscensus that sees how corrupt the present contract has become.
On a recent day there were 20 – 980 Phantom ambulance calls. Do you want to know why? Why do we allow this to continue?