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Here are links to the agendas for the two meetings showing on this week’s events calendar.
Monday, August 4: School District 271 School Board Meeting Tuesday, August 5: Coeur d’Alene Parking Commission Meeting Tuesday, August 5: Coeur d’Alene City Council Meeting |
Addendum 08-05-2008: I’ve added the Parking Commission agenda. Parking Commissioner Jim Elder is also the Vice Chairman of the LCDC. Elder and LCDC Chairman Nipp and Mayor Bloem all have financial interests in the downtown and the LCDC URA. The Parking Commission actions, particularly appointments and removals, need to be watched very carefully. The Parking Commission and the City Council are positioned to manipulate the downtown parking situation by reducing the number of parking spaces any particular developer is required to include in a new project. Increasing the volume of cars needing parking while reducing on-site parking for any particular business artificially creates the apparent need for a centralized parking lot or structure.
There is also a budget workshop tomorrow (Tuesday, 8/5), where the Council will discuss how to make up money for the shortfall. Of course, we can all guess that they’ll take foregone taxes or raise our water fees again, but it might end up being a good show anyway.
By the way, I just spoke with a reporter at the CDA Press. I reminded him that the City was $18 million over-budget last year. Had the Mayor and Council the fiscal discipline not to spend that money like drunken sailors they would not have a budget crisis this year. Alas.
Comment by Dan — August 4, 2008 @ 9:54 am
Dan, where is the budget workshop? Bill, do you know if there are any consequences to the city council approving the minutes without some sort of notation that Deanna Goodlander voted to award PAC the city contract to administer HUD monies when she has recused herself in the past due to her service as a board member/treasurer of this organization? Thank you both for your writings, they are both entertaining and enlightening.
Comment by doubleseetripleeye — August 4, 2008 @ 10:07 am
cciii,
The council can and will do anything it wants. If she had an obligation to declare a conflict in the past on the same issue, I presume that obligation would carry forward. If she needlessly declared a conflict in the past, that is, if no conflict existed in fact, then she had no obligation to declare one in the council meeting. That’s my imitation of Tony Berns answer when a simple, “I don’t know,” would have been adequate.
Comment by Bill — August 4, 2008 @ 10:38 am
Bill that was very nice obfuscation. Bern’s communication style might explain why he doesn’t have a secretary. No one can understand him. Another explanation of why a six figure executive director doesn’t have a secretary might simply be to keep the number who know about LCDC activities to a minimum. As head of the LCDC communications committee, do you think Dave Patzer could translate Mr. Berns comments for us or shall they hire Stefany Bales and PacWest to do it?
Comment by doubleseetripleeye — August 4, 2008 @ 11:07 am
For the win.
Comment by Dan — August 4, 2008 @ 11:17 am
CCIII, allow me to present a take on your question about minutes without getting into the conflict issue with councilgal Goodlander. The Open Meeting Law only requires, as a minimum, minutes to declare rollcalls, motions, resolutions, orders or ordinances proposed and their disposition, thre results of all votes and if requested, by roll call. Almost without exception, our local units of government provide much more detail than is required. I wouldn’t want them to pull back to minimum requirements due to pressure to get more than what is required.
Comment by Gary Ingram — August 4, 2008 @ 9:30 pm
Gary, Must minutes be accurate ?
Comment by Susie Snedaker — August 5, 2008 @ 6:20 am
This may be a little off subject. I had to go out to Rathdrum this morning. On my way back in I took Prairie. I got to Atlas to find that it was CLOSED for chip seal.
closed for chip seal
during and will last through peak commute
not just one or two lanes at a time
ALL FIVE LANES SHUT DOWN
detoured through the subdivisions
I cannot believe the cities and counties invite all of this growth and then treat citizens this way. In any other city, county and state, this type of work would be performed either at night or at least NOT DURING PEAK TRAFFIC TIMES. Goes to show just how out of touch elected officials really are.
WHOOOOO! Thanks. Had to get that off of my chest. The talk about traffic and my morning drive back in brought about this post. Have a great day all. 🙂
Comment by concerned citizen — August 5, 2008 @ 8:20 am
concerned citizen,
I may be waaaaay off base on this, but I think this is a project of the Post Falls Highway District. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong.
Comment by Bill — August 5, 2008 @ 8:23 am
I heard that the Mayor dismissed Steve Foxx from the Parking Commission. I know that Mr. Foxx has been critical of the LCDC in the past. Did they pull a “Mary Souza” on him?
Comment by Dan — August 5, 2008 @ 8:52 am
Bill, Prairie Ave from Atlas east belongs to CdA. City if CdA trucks complete with city logo doing the work.
Comment by concerned citizen — August 5, 2008 @ 9:28 am
Either way, this is complete stupidity.
Comment by concerned citizen — August 5, 2008 @ 9:30 am
concerned citizen,
Thanks for the clarification. The PF Highway District map is not clear.
Comment by Bill — August 5, 2008 @ 9:42 am
Post Falls Highway District is or was responsible for Huetter Road as the road is the boundary between the city and county.
Comment by Susie Snedaker — August 6, 2008 @ 7:34 am
Update. I’ve just discovered that Mr. Foxx resigned from the Parking Commission; he was not asked to leave.
Comment by Dan — August 6, 2008 @ 9:35 am