The ding-a-lings we call our elected representatives will be holding another COW meeting this evening at City Hall, beginning at 7:00 pm. The agenda (.pdf) for tonight's meeting covers Finance and Budget, Public Works, and Public Safety.
The first item of business, under Finance and Budget, is an action item -- a. City Manager's Employment Agreement (.pdf). For those of you paying attention, you will remember this item of business was deferred from the last City Council meeting, in keeping with Council tradition. The PRU Crew feels the contract is more than fair for a City Manager position in a community the size and type of Park Ridge -- but we must admit, we're not sure there's enough money in the world to compensate anyone having to deal with our current crop of elected representatives.
Under the Public Works portion of the agenda, the PRU Crew cannot wait to hear the discussion which will take place regarding item 1. Parkway Tree Removal Policy (.pdf) -- and the PRU Crew is wondering what the hell the amount of $167,438.94 is supposed to reference in the cover memo.
The most recent installment of "Meatgate" was covered in one of the local rags here and here. Tree preservation and the Bonita Drive Bunyans were originally discussed on our blog here and here. We are particularly interested in hearing when and how a mere policy overrides a City ordinance, in addition to learning when and how the new City Forester Mr. Tony Gliot can override settled Council policy in particular cases. However, the PRU Crew does have to give a big old tip of our lumberjack hats to the Bonita Drive Bunyans who clearly live by the standard that if at first you don't succeed, try, try again! Two Mayors -- two City Managers -- Two Public Works Directors, and three City Foresters! Third time's a charm!
The last portion of tonight's COW meeting will cover Public Safety and the PRU Crew's favoritest subject, Red Light Cameras. B.O.H.I.C.A.!
And finally, the PRU Crew are very very very proud of ourselves for not making any tasteless jokes here about Police Chiefski's Pig Roast report!
September 13, 2010
More COW Bell!
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11 comments:
The news article says "the Council Policy 24, adopted on March 19, 1984, stipulates that if the city gives a resident permission to remove a parkway tree, the resident must pay for the removal and disposal of the tree and pay for a replacement tree. The city would pay in certain situations, including if the tree was damaging city sidewalks."
...but the policy itself says (paraphrasing) "the City wants to be flexible if the trees have created a problem for the residents or no longer contribute to or enhance the aesthetic appearance of our community."
Were the trees creating a problem...beyond blocking the view of Mr. and Mrs. Meatpacker's newly constructed home?
Were the trees growing in such a manner that they no longer provided any benefit, aesthetic or otherwise, to the community? Didn't the City trim the heck out of these trees not too long ago...?
Silver maples might not be a "desirable species," but they aren't entirely without provision of benefits to the community...especially when growing on public property...
...and I can hardly wait for the next set of non-appeal-courtesy-appeals requesting the removal of public parkway trees to roll into the PWSC... How many public parkway trees are there in PR...some 22,000?
"Win-win!"
Seems it could bring on problems when the city gives people ways to buy out of laws.
I got a fever. And the only cure is...more aldermen.
I'm not sure about more aldermen or not but I will be damn glad to see Bach and Allegretti gone.
4:32:
I would hold your judgement until you see who replaces them. Imagine for a moment that Schmidt had those two votes in his back pocket. There are moments I am not so sure that is a good thing.
I wonder who fired up the grill this time??
The only decent aldermen right now are DePietro and Sweeny. All the rest of them can go and I won't miss them. But I told myself the same thing last time because I didn't think it could get worse but it did.
5:07,
You could be right.
I just read the articles about the trees. The mayor said some felt the amount of the meat gift to the city manager was irrelevant and the timing of it was questionable.
So the mayor says it was the principle not the size of the gift. Funny. He didn't say that when he went along with letting Frimark off the hook for violating government ethics.
What a joke.
6:02:
Good point but I was coming from a different direction. It would seem that many here feel the city giving money to CoC is a good thing (I do!) If he gets the votes that will be gone - period!! I do not care if the city is way ahead of budget, he will still ax it. You can see it in some of the things he has said...."role of government". That is something everyone should be very clear about.
Off topic, but priceless...!!!
In the H-A...Kenny Blast-n-Bitch has submitted a very special letter talking about the current city budget problems and saying...
"In the past, the City Council has entertained the idea of either having an appointed or elected city treasurer who would report to the mayor and the City Council. Another idea, which the mayor discussed in the past, was to have an accounting/finance advisory group.
I believe now is that time to put such a group into action.
Ken Balaskovits Park Ridge"
PRICELESS!!! This is the same guy who was a rabid cut-the-council advocate!!! Kenny seems to forget that under former Treasurer Brauweiler the city had oodles of budget deficits, as well as significantly deferred public infrastructure maintenance.
Then...after the council eliminated the position of city treasurer, and all those dirty democrats AND 2 new republicans got elected, during the one year they had total control of the budget it was balanced and booked a surplus of roughly $6.2million...
So, what is old Blast-n-Bitch advocating now...??? An "accounting/finance advisory group"...appointed?...elected??????????...to keep an eye on the budget!!!!!!!!!!!
BWAAAAAAAAAAAHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHAAAA
Ooooooh...make it stop! Make it stop!!!!
6:17,
I wasn't thinking about it that way but I agree with you.
Bean:
I don't know the gentleman who wrote the letter so I can't say if your opinion of him is right or wrong. His letter does seem like a contradiction if what you say he supported is true.
I can say I don't want anyone who isn't elected to make any budget decisions. I think the aldermen would do whatever some committee or group recommended to them because they don't want to be held responsible. Managing the city budget is the number one job they should do. I don't know how some other group of volunteers from the community would be better than the volunteer aldermen. Also, the last thing we need is another appointed task force or committee. The aldermen were elected to study all these issues and come to decisions. They should be the ones doing the job or they should leave.
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