Begins with the usual opening ceremonies.
@ 0:1:00 -- Consent agenda begins
@ 0:3:49 -- Mayor's report begins
@ 0:22:44 -- "Park Ridge in 1910" presentation begins
@ 0:37:10 -- Appointments to Animal Commission -- the PRU Crew is holding out for the formation of the PARTY Animal Commission.
@ 0:38:43 -- Garden Club Proclamation
@ 0:41:55 -- City Clerk's report begins
@ 0:42:59 -- City Manager's report begins
@ 0:54:00 -- Citizens wishing to address the Council on Non-agenda items -- A resident asks the Council to consider adopting a ban on all hand-held devices while driving
@ 0:58:00 -- Reports of Boards and Commissions begins -- Ald. Bach for the PROAC
*** The next hour+ of Council discussion is a painful reminder of why we find most of our Aldermorons to be Aldermorons most of the time *** And we're beginning to think Ms. Jennifer Perry has mastered the art of playing a diplomatically doe-eyed damsel in distress very well.
@ 2:09:46 -- Public Safety report begins -- Ald. Wsol asks Chiefski about the forthcoming red light camera update
@ 2:10:05 -- New Business begins -- Ald. Wsol asks for a review of guidelines for no-bid contracts -- Ald. Sweeney announces a volunteer effort at sprucing up the Youth Campus
@ 2:13:15 -- Motion to adjourn
9 comments:
Anon@3:39 unpublished --
Wrong blog.
But good luck making your case elsewhere.
I'm not sure what you mean about wrong blogs, but thank you.
Even though I don't always agree with what you write in regard to many things (funding of the great volunteer groups in town), I do enjoy this forum.
Anon@3:47 --
You're welcome, you're perfectly entitled to your own opinion, and thank you.
LOL. 3:47: Pru isn't the only blog in town but few know or read the other one.
Nobody's mentioned this...but I found it comical.
Alderman Francis seemed to ponder whether or not what comes from boards, commissions and task forces has ever been "filtered" by the clowncil.
And the answer is?
Why, YES, Francis! "Filtering" policy matters, BEFORE those policy matters are OFFICIALLY presented to the public and adopted as the OFFICIAL position of our community, is EXACTLY the job of an elected representative/public body!
Elected representative/public bodies are SUPPOSED to "filter"... or said other ways, VET...debate......break-down...refine...fine-tune...polish...blah blah blah... issues of concern to the public.
Whether the clowncil CHOOSES to amend or change a recommendation from a board, commission or task force before making a policy official is the privilege and responsibility of an elected representative/public body.
What a dunderhead. Sometimes, Francis, you try to be "too cute" for words...
Anon 3:47
Don't worry. The council will vote to fund all of the great volunteer groups you love even if it means the city budget keeps on going under water.
The council isn't willing to stick their necks out and the mayor won't either and we the taxpayers will get stuck with the bills again.
5:09:
You stated the following:
"Don't worry. The council will vote to fund all of the great volunteer groups you love even if it means the city budget keeps on going under water".
This is the crux of my problem. Your statement is a best misleading and at worst completely false. There is this incredible uprising against these small, yes small, community groups as if they are the only issue with the PR budget. Your statement implies that they will give money to these groups even if it means budget keeps on going underwater. You are implying that is the reason we have budget issues today and in the past and that is flat out crap!! The numbers simply do not work - no matter how much people want to scream about it. The total amount given to community groups does not amount to 10% of the deficit. Should PR fund all of these groups? Some of them? None of them? These are legitimate points of discussion and opinions will vary. However to somehow hang the budget crisis on these groups is wrong. If we axed support for all these groups and all else was equal we would still be in a world of hurt.
Anon@9:54 --
What incredible uprising are you referring to?
We've observed that those who've strongly encouraged the Mayor to make any cuts have done so based in part upon the opinion he, himself, offered about the dire financial circumstances of the City's finances.
We've also observed a number of people offer suggestions and opinions about decreasing spending, which go beyond the subject of community group contributions alone.
We do believe the attempts at political maneuvering we've seen take place between the Aldermen and the Mayor are reprehensible, irresponsible and symptomatic of all that is wrong with what is supposed to pass for our representative government these days.
We feel Anon@5:09 is precisely correct when saying neither the Council nor the Mayor are willing to stick their necks out. We see both segments of our local City government doing their utmost to avoid accountability.
At this point in time, the PRU Crew feels the Aldermen are actually ahead on that point -- their position has demanded they act with far more, dare we say it, "specificity" in casting their votes. And as we believe we've made fairly clear, we find the Mayor's dodging and weaving and attempts to avoid any absolute commitments to any very specific positions more than disappointing.
Your point about community group contributions being a small part of the overall budget is something with which we strongly concur. However, the failure of either or both our Aldermen and Mayor to address the nature of whether any or all of these contributions are or aren't essential to residents in Park Ridge is, in our observation, symptomatic of the larger problems and lack of real leadership all of the members of this current group of elected officials have long demonstrated.
We expect both the Aldermen and the Mayor will, at some point in the not too distant future, demand the head of City Manager Hock on a silver platter. The City Manager will be the final fall guy in this fiasco of a budget process should one bloody red cent show itself on the final ledger count.
Pru:
Thanks for your reply. I agree with virtually all of what you wrote. What sets me off is this whole......"even if it means...." mentality. It (community group spending) does not mean the budget will suddenly be balanced, but it is a wonderful political football that the public follows.
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