Another Monday -- another COW!
Tonight's City Council COW agenda (.pdf) covers business of the Procedures and Regulations, and Finance and Budget committees. And as usual, we expect a good time to be had by all!
The PRU Crew expects to have a very good time listening to the mental and verbal contortions of Procedures and Regulations chairman, 4th ward Ald. James Allspaghetti, explain his on-going concern over the super majority voting requirement he originally voted to approve.
Also on the agenda for approval is the Special Events application process. Mayor Schmidtzkrieg made the original call for review (.pdf) of Special Event costs, but then did an about-face on the issue by inexplicably pushing to keep review of Special Event applications a City staff function. We're wondering how the Mayor expects to be able to review costs for Special Events without reviewing which Special Events applications are being made, prior to the event being held and the City incurring costs. Inquiring minds are just dying to know!
Also on the Procedures and Regulations agenda is an item (.pdf) apparently inspired by concerns from the 2nd ward's Lord of the Manor, Ald. Rich DiPietro -- Modification to the 3P Manual regarding the City Attorney . Has an Alderdunce been attempting to use the City Attorney as a personal secretary?
On the Finance and Budget front, we expect business as usual -- meaning, a lot of yakking, hot air exhalation, and self aggrandizement on the part of the Alderdunces.
And we're really really really looking forward to hearing how the reinstatement of the position of a City Treasurer would have saved us all from the current budget fiasco -- notwithstanding the performance of the last City Treasurer and his role in the loss of $650,000.00 thrown down the Peotone airport hole. For a refresher on the topic, you can read the Peotone report here and some of former City Treasurer Carl Brauweiler's comments on the matter on page 7.
February 22, 2010
It's Only Moola!
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22 comments:
...and once again I ask, why isn't the city's 3P manual published on the city's web site?
Allegretti's ongoing concern is only how to put money in his buddies pockets from billboards. He doesn't give a crap about this town.
What is the 3P manual???
Anon@2:22 --
It is the Practices, Procedures, and Policy Manual given to each official when they are elected to office in the City.
It is the "Handbook for Elected Officials" which explains how things are done and on what basis things are done.
Thank you PRU. I agree with Bean. It sounds like something that should be on the city website.
If they put the 3P on the city's website, then EVERYBODY would know what it says instead of it being known only by Uncle Richie DiPietro, who uses it only when it helps him do whatever he's trying to do.
Perhaps one of you should bring this up with the Mayor. It would seem to fit right in with his transparancy in government Schtick. Funny he has not already thought of this and never brought it up. After all, he was an alderman and he is the Mayor.
Same games. Different names.
1:43:
Nail on the head.
anon 615:
You really need to get new material.
I just watched the last video from last night's council meeting and without a doubt, City Clerk Betty Henneman is an old HO.
Tell everyone, Betty dear, what wonderful financial talent did Park Ridge miss out on because the Treasurer's position was eliminated?
Tell everyone, Betty dear, what wonderful financial talent decided they could not possibly run for office of an Alderman instead?
Betty dear, I think it's time for you to retire.
Anon@4:33 --
The City Cluck just may be the oldest HO holding office. The old HO party no longer exists in its original form, but apparently old HO habits die hard.
The City Cluck has never been much of a thinker, but then again there's not much thinking required for paper shuffling and record keeping -- or whitewashing of City Council minutes.
As bad as you say she is, I am amazed she was able to beat all the talented and civic minded PR residents who chose to do more than just complain about it and decided to run against her!!
Anon@4:45 --
We look forward to some civic minded individual setting aside the sentiments of the old widows and orphans pretense.
Betty dear needs to retire. Her memory is failing.
According to Clerk Henneman's own minutes, included for review by the council in preparation for last night's meeting...
The minutes seem to reflect the entire matter was discussed and voted on at several open/public meetings... despite her claims of lack of transparency, open discussion, and political maneuvering and that ultimately, a first reading vote produced a count of 8 to 4, with Tinaglia, Benka, Beaumont, Bell, Friel and MaRous joining "the dark side" (Cox was absent) vs. DiPietro, Frimark, Bateman and Disher...
...and in a second reading/final vote of 10 to 3 (Beaumont was absent) apparently even Uncle Rich was over-come by the factional forces of "the dark side."
I suppose Clerk Henneman could have a failing memory...if not an entirely selective memory...or maybe she didn't read her packet carefully before last night's meeting...?
You know what IS on the city website:
Cost per capita of city services: $1,264 (second LOWEST of 9 neighboring communities)
The City Treasurer was such a waste. What was his line every week? “And the City remains in sound financial condition”, or some crap like that. That way the City Council, which is actually elected and charged with the responsibility to act as fiduciary for the taxpayers of Park Ridge, can then sit there and say “Well the Treasurer says everything is just nifty”. Of course that’s great because it lets them off the hook. Task forces for everyone!!!
Over 4 hours of meeting and all you got out of it was Betty Hennemen's comments?
From the HA…..
But on Monday night, City Clerk Betty Henneman said the elimination of the treasurer's position was "a political maneuver" in an attempt to keep certain political factions from running for the office."There were other people who were interested in running for office and they were cut off at the knees in the process," she said.
How can we have a “City Clerk”, whose job is to record accurate meeting minutes, just making shit up? I have a better idea Betty. Let’s get rid of the City Clerk too.
About all I remember our City Treasurer doing was grousing about the Council voting to pull out of the Suburban O'Hare Commission and the Peotone "investment."
At the 2/15 council meeting, City Mgr Hock stated that he couldn't get a draft budget in front of the council because he didn't have a Director of Finance and "didn't have anyone to enter the data."
First of all, I didn't realize it took a Director-level person to do raw data entry. I bet we can farm this out pretty easily. Second, one of the residents VOLUNTEERED to do it for them and no one took her up on it.
Seems like no one wants to look at the budget on a line-item basis because then there wouldn't be an excuse to just rubber-stamp it at the 11th hour.
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