Just when you think the dysfunction with the council could not get much worse, they outdo themselves.
PARKING RAMP WILL BE GREAT SOMEDAY!
At the Budget meeting they had a presentation by Parking Director, Matt Nelson, who told the council that the bunker ramp will be great ‘someday’. Neitzert (who still thinks he did nothing wrong by voting for it) and Erickson agreed with Matt. I told them during public input that Nelson was polishing a turd.
I also told them I was frustrated that city staff was against starting some new programs. Police Chief Burns said that body cameras would basically cost to much and he would have to add staff. But hey, a $20-30 million dollar training center is ok. I told them that the cost would be worth it to protect officers and people who are arrested.
Planning Director Eckhoff also voiced concerns about starting a residential TIF program saying that remodeling houses doesn’t add much value. Oh, but million dollar condos have helped us out soooo much!
COUNCILOR SOEHL EMBARRASES HIMSELF
In a strange attempt to embarrass councilor Stehly with her SOS project resolution during the regular 7 PM meeting, without warning, Soehl guts her resolution by making the program voluntary. While I agree with a majority of the council we shouldn’t be using parking fines for charities, all the council had to do is just vote NO instead of gutting Stehly’s resolution (which they eventually did) once Starr challenged Soehl’s amendment for not properly noticing it. In Curt’s strange attempt to put Theresa in her place, he embarrassed himself by making a big deal out of a charity program. He looked like a class A, A-Hole.
AMENDMENTS TO THE LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES HAVE NEVER BEEN CHALLENGED IN THE PAST
In an attempt to get back at Stehly and Starr for calling Soehl out on his little stunt, when they made amendments to the legislative priorities, they claimed they have not been properly noticed.
Huh?
The priorities have always been just ‘suggestions’ to the legislature. They are certainly not binding. If they made a 100 amendments it would not matter. Amendments have been made in the past. The city attorney, Kooistra really showed his lack of knowledge when it came to what should be noticed. Erickson actually came to the rescue by saying by deferring the priorities, the amendments now become proper notice. They deferred it for a week.
The crap coming out of Carnegie these days gets shinier by the day.
I still think that daylight saving time messes with cows in the summer, windmills cause cancer, and using parking tickets to fund the SOS program will invite chaos in our quaint town as people begin to park everywhere and without coinage.
It is best we do not mess with our parking enforcement program, so that law and order can prevail and our under educated masses can be left to fuel our service economy – especially downtown – through an absence of a strongly committed education system both by the pupils and those who afford their way.
Fore (Fore?), I think that in the absence of enough backpacks, our young students will develop a lesser intellectual curiosity, which will then fuel workforce development in a way where our young students will want to use their hands and not their minds, so as to further fund the coffers of the few in this town at the expense of the many…..Which is what we want, right?
Is it just me, or does the idea of painting the southern side of the Bunker Ramp kind of like Westerners painting the Berlin Wall?
This puppet show is hilarious but now it’s time to vote for Triple Check so the city can come back from Disney and get back to business.
The parking ramp was a mistake. If the council would confess as much, maybe there’s another use. The lesson here is keep money away from private ventures and focus on infrastructure.
Another episode of the two entities battling each other. Fun to watch.
Check out the Tuesday videos. While Scott and I spoke the RS5 members did their best to smirk and joke with each other. They seem to find bonding and borrowing money a fun thing to do. So let’s keep having fun!
Really disappointed with how the Banquet/Project SOS bill went down. I knew that the objection would be that we shouldn’t use parking funds for a non-profit, so I suggested a way we can use the mechanism of paying a parking ticket online as a way to also make a donation (in addition to paying a parking ticket). Basically, there would be a checkbox where someone could pay $5.00 or $10.00 more and have that extra money go to the Banquet. Instead, it became an unnecessary partisan squabble.
(FYI, Theresa – I did not text any councilors during that agenda item or the rest of the meeting about anything on the agenda. I did text Greg and ask him if I could have a ride home if my wife had to go relieve the baby sitter of her duties earlier in the meeting since it went long. There’s no grand SMS conspiracy. I was actually trying to save your program idea and make it more workable and happy to work with any councilors on ideas that encourage people to give to effective non-profits/charities)
MP – I had a convo with Theresa after the meeting last night. Trust me, we know who was behind the gutting of her resolution, and we both know it wasn’t you.
Isn’t it interesting that construction on the parking ramp is all stop and has been for months. It could have been finished but is now set for next June. Leaving it half finished is an eyesore that obstructs through traffic. FINISH IT OR DEMOLISH IT? Either way costs the same.
I do hope that next years Council election will break up the 5-3 vote, which happens way too often.
City Councilor Rick Kiley has been absent from two out of the three ANNUAL Budget Hearings.
These are three of the most important council meetings of the year.
Where were you Rick Kiley?
KDLT reports the parking ramp will open June 2020. What was the original projected opening date when revenue would commence?
Guess Kiley didn’t get the memo about no cell phones during council meetings.
He sure was busy on his phone at last night’s meeting.