OCTOBER AGENDA FIXING SESSION #1

Monday night’s Council’s 3½ hour agenda fixing session; where to start? 

My best advice is that anyone interested should request that the city’s cable stations program schedule be posted on the City site so the proceedings could be watched.

So much took place during that time period from its calm start with a report by Councilor Storch about the Planning Board’s actions and the role the Council must take to the closing Public comments from a citizen chastising the Councilors for their public bickering, body actions and disrespect for other Councilors followed by a penultimate racist/ethnic tirade from “It’s US or THEM” Jeffry Dunn that this posting can only be the first of several.

The bulk of the meeting can be compartmentalized into the CFO’s and the Auditors report on the 2013 Audit, the not on the published agenda Councilor Reid introduced Mapp baiting baseball/Recreation “10 minute” public discussion, and finally the less than thirty minutes action on the Resolutions and Ordinances to be  placed on next Monday’s Business Meeting Agenda.

With the exception of two items and an abortive attempt to introduce a perhaps contentious resolution the purpose of this meeting proceeded without a hitch.

Administration requested the Resolution appointing Thomas Crownover, Carlos Ponton, and Michelle Graham-Lyons as PMUA Commissioners be postponed until the November meeting because “two of the nominees could not be here tonight”. Weird, but then again perhaps the Council should do its interviews in Executive session, or could another recent appointment be a cause of concern?

Once again the Ordinance relating to street parking on Kenyon Ave. between Stelle Ave and Randolph Rd met opposition from Councilor Taylor as being premature since the county area was not being used at present due to reseeding so that there was no need. The fact that this County land has been used for athletic events from before my childhood days and will again be most likely used for soccer in the near future seems to be immaterial to Councilor Taylor. She obviously has her own agenda, perhaps it is resentment for not being included in any discussions with the County about the Kenyon Gardens tract.

Certainly it should be better to be proactive a be ready for a problem that most likely would present in the future than go through a three month reactive Ordinance procedure after the land is in use again.

One can only wish without hope that those other Councilors who voted against including this resolution would come to their senses and be rational by including this Ordinance next Monday. It hurts no one and could benefit a whole neighborhood.  

Chairman of the Whole Councilor Reid thought that a Resolution appointing the Director of Public Works had been inadvertently left off the agenda but was unable to introduce it when he was informed by the Mayor that the only communication he had to the Council was to announce the acting appointment of Eric Watson which does not need Council approval.

We will discuss the other two segments subsequently. I am sure by then we will have both Dan Damon’s and Bernice’s perception on these matters posted. The most important; the Auditor's report and the CFO's comments will be the last in the series.