There is a move afoot to change the city commission meeting date for the worksession. Currently it is at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, and the regular meeting is the next evening at 7.
Before the three amigos came on board, the work session was at noon on friday. There is a move to move it back to the friday at noon time slot.
One thing you have to admit about the three amigos, is that that have tried to make the meetings open and available to the public. Not saying they were not before, but, they have tried to remove any obstacle that they could.
The argument for the change is that it will give them time to gather information if they need to between the meetings.
The argument against it is that it does not make it convenient for people to attend.
One commissioner pointed out that not many people go anyway.
Let's show em Monday night.
See how many people we can get to come out.
Also tuesday they will have the changing of the guard. elect a new mayor and all that.
mell will officially hand over the gavel, that is assuming he is not mayor anymore.
traditionally the highest vote getter is the mayor, and the second highest vote getter is the mayor the following year.
but that is just tradition.
The commission may elect any of its members.
I can see the argument that it is hard for a newcomer to step into the role of mayor. it would be better perhaps for a person to serve on the commission for a year at least before taking that role. But at the same time, it has worked for years.
So im just not sure it matters.
The vote on the meeting change is set for after the new commissioners take office.
It isnt that big of a deal, but it might be symbolic ?
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Getting the public OUT is what this is about. NOTHING more. Make it so they can't attend, sit in a little room and eat and make them wait while you do it. If the meeting time is not important then make it at 10:00 am on Saturday.
I believe that the management staff of Arkansas City no matter who the city commission is are bound and determined to remove the citizens imput less a select few and their rights to be apart of the open process
Gosh, let's bash the new commission before they even take office since that will certainly mend fends and help heal scars for the community.
Several of the commissioners also have jobs and meeting at noon means they will be away from work. They also have families so meeting in the evenings means another night away from home. Give them a chance no matter what the decision.
Some of you want to be negative for the sake of being negative. It's been a long week of having to be positive on these blogs and now we can return to our old cynical ways and attack for the sake of attack. I will never understand the need to assume the worst and expect even worst.
I am even disappointed in the negative twist of this blog "Let's show em Monday night"...wow! Could the Traveler for once be a uniter and not a divider?
This commission was just elected..give them a chance.
I will be very dissapointed if they leave Kuhn as mayor. He has done enough harm to this community without serving another year as mayor.
I do think the commission should have time to think and do research in between the work session and the meeting, but it would also be nice if it's at a time when the public could attend. Maybe Thursday night at 7?
What happens at these work sessions? They are not on TV, and all the paper does about them is print what will happen at the meeting. If it is only to set up or get information about the meeting then why bother? If they are making decisions then it should be out in the open. Should there be public input at a work session? Or should they be given a chance to gather information and have time to put it together before public input? Could the too quick actions of the water bills and crash tax have been avoided if they had more time to get more information? Why is the newpaper so intent on not giving them the time? Could the new commission be looking into doing more work and less guessing? Maybe if the newspaper prints it up Friday or Saturday people will have more time to consider and be able to attend the meetings. The paper has always printed info about the meetings on Monday nights, even when the meetings were on Fridays. Why doesn't the Traveler become more responsible?
Work sessions should be just that! Work sessions! A time for the commission to hear information ask questions of staff, research and review info. It should not be for Kanyon to stand on her soap box and vomit! The Tuesday meetings are for the public hearings and citizen input in the proper setting. Why dont we let our commission work? Let them have their work sessions to work! Hold them accountable at the regular commission meetings.
Oh, I get it- you- JJ- are the uhmmm... genius that started- or is at least continuing the 'three amigo's' thing. How open minded of you- you christianly, Godly person you!
The Traveler has proven time and again that it doesn't care about uniting. JJ often, using the veil of the Lord (which in itself makes me never want to stand to close to him- in case lightening strikes!)swings a double sided sword. He manipulates and plays both sides to get a story for this sad little small town rag of a paper. What used to be a great newspaper, that shared good positive things about our community and provided honest, unbiased real new stories is gone and is replaced with this biased, irrelevant (the majority of your so called "breaking news" stories are a joke and not considered breaking news to anyone-rather you use that right irresponsibly to skewer people publically), or copied from other paper news. This is in no longer an asset to our community. You are not the big time JJ. You think that your opinion is the final word or at the very least true because you say so. You throw around your not so cute little names and rote repeated comments like a bunch of sheep and you copy stories from other papers instead of showing any real creativity in ours. You've lost sight of your mission JJ and the sad part is that until you run our little paper straight into the ground (and probably even after that) you will not see that it is your negativity and biased opinions that have put a bad taste in the mouths of the community. I would suggest you try being a unitor rather than a hypocrite- in the end it tastes and feels better. If you spent even a fraction of the time practicing all that you preach you would be a better person from the inside out. If you want to get rid of negativity and make a positive change- maybe you should start with you!
I think JJ's remark about "lets show them" meant that he hopes people show up in large numbers so the majority will have a voice in who they want to see become the next mayor.
That is the right thing to do.
Cya!
@ April 18, 2009 10:17 AM
That's funny. "let's let them work.' Pah! They don't intend to do any work. They want to be done in an hour and a half. You can't get the work done that quick. not unless someone already made all the decisions for you.
It appears that the move to evening meetings has promoted a bit more citizen interest and participation. It might be appropriate to consider whether that is a good thing or no in the eyes of this council before they make adjustments.
It might be a bit more noteworthy to determine if this is symbolic of the level of matters the group feels is deserving of their attention. Most post election governing bodies tend to put their energy into the matters they deem deserving of the highest priority and of the most value for the constituency.
I thought the move to Monday was bit of showmanship at first. I also was concerned that the short turn from work session to commission meeting might not yield best decisions. If one believed that the only review of certain policies occured in those sessions, that might explain why two major ordinances were overturned almost immediately.
I do not think that is accurate. I do think that introducing issues to the general public one day before a voting action is to be taken limits the input on some topics.
Still, the greater concern is whether matters such as moving meeting times to be more convenient are the matters that will hold the councils attention.
On hot media, they reported that ARk City was receiving $1.65MM os stimulus money for water plant projects. The federal money was intended to put people back to work. It will be interesting to see if we address local employment or just hand projects over to folks with full staffing already to simply enhance contractor's bottom lines.
Several of the commissioners also have jobs and meeting at noon means they will be away from work. They also have families so meeting in the evenings means another night away from home. Give them a chance no matter what the decision
Most of the time a company will alloow for an employee to take off when serving in a public office be it city county or state. @. They new they would be spending time away from family and should have discussed with family before getting into the race for a public office. It's a sacrifice you make even if it does not pay that much, the phone calls , letters, knock on your door in the middle of dinner. Thats what working for the people means sacrifice of time. But in this town those who run are usally hand picked and only assume they have to onlyvisit with a few people (wrong) they must be ready to deal with everyone even at the grocery store or wal-mart for a quick run to the stores, if theye are not ready to do that they should not have run for the office!!!!!!!!!
Callus
The Tuesday meetings are for the public hearings and citizen input in the proper setting.
You are so blind as to what you just said. Have youo ever been to a commision meeting on Tuesday and notice how the votes go, I would guess not. For the most of the time the matter is or has been decided 80% of the time and the rest is for show. They look at the info and come to an agreement on most everything in the work session. You need to get more involved before you say anything else and at least think why does they all vote the same way for the most part on Tuesday. I have listened to them for years and can tell you that better than 70% how the vote will go and who the only nay would be.
The only one I ever had trouble with was Scott and he is gone now!!!!!
Yeah. You never knew how scott was going to vote. I don't think he even knew. Every time he talked he seemed to cover both sides like he was trying to talk himself into or out of whatever he was thinking, then forget what the issue was and continue to ramble. Maybe if he asked the questions in the work sessions and had time to get the information he could have made an informed decision.
Monday night was for the convenience of every one including the commissioners who all work for a living. Plus they said that all future issues especially if recommended by staff would be tabled for more review time and not just passed because they said so.
Why would anyone want to change that?
Of course, people know what they are getting into when they run BUT it would be nice if we made it accessible for those that work and have families and NOT just those that are retired. I disagree that people are handpicked. I personally worked on a campaign several years ago for a family member who ran because he felt it was the right thing to do. He was successful because he cared and listened but he did not get "hand picked". We have to get over this mentality that only hand picked people are on the city commission...does that explain the members that were elected two years ago or just apply to those that are now on the commission. It can not be both ways.
You may disagree with them being hand picked. That will not change the fact that these guys are an ACI voting block.
the April 18, 2009 1:35 PM
post about the travler
To the poster whom accurately portrayed the traveler, thats not JJ fault the open support of the three comrades and obama is a david seaton thing. Its not news its an agenda its an agendapaper
I agree that the paper has gown way downhill since the Seatons bought it and put davey jr in charge. The leftist slant is enough to make me puke at times.
"The leftist slant is enough to make me puke at times."
Uhhh.. you're kidding, right?
Anything toward the center from Karl Rove must seem left to you.
They are not the type who will vote ACI just because someone tells them too. They will vote what is right for the community and the future growth.
If you know Snell and Warren you know that they will never vote to please anyone just for the sake of pleasing nor will they automatically be against something just to be against it and to prove they are in control.
If they vote to support something they will honestly beieve it is the right thing and not a vote to show someone they are in control. That is the difference between the last commission and the new one.
We are lucky to have a newspaper...any newspaper. Papers across the country are closing and laying off even in places like Denver, Kansas City, Chicago, New York. We may not like what they say but they at least are here to report the news. We shouldn't be shooting the messenger and every editor has a place to speak his opinion.
Know I am not kidding
Karl is a family man with family values like pro life, he’s for individual rights like the 1st and 2nd amendments, and he is for less government. If that’s right witch it is than that’s were we all should be.
Printing papers at the same rate that money is being print and for the same reason that money is being printed is why it is all failing
Jay will do what best for ACI and why would he not
Jay said he would step down from the bank and aci boards
Gee that would be a sure change of allegiances -
It is so weird in Ark City that is someone dares to be successful, they are then hated by many.
But if people do next to nothing or better yet makes lots of mistakes, then that is something we support.
I've never been to a work session. Is it just like the commission meeting? I've been to a couple of those, but there wasn't anyone else there. Do the work sessions get anyone to come?
e. Do the work sessions get anyone to come?
>
Not many people come.
they are very different than a regular meeting.
one thing is, they cannot take any official action at a worksession, but that is where they discuss the issues and pretty well decide what they are going to do.
its a lot more informal. not really too structured.
and people can talk to them much more easily.
it is a time to gather information.
its usually more interesting than the regular meeting really.
they are open to the public.
not any more
thanks to jayjeanpat
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