The Penalty Box
Partnership or coercion?
This week
City Council Meeting
The Council met on Monday for its regular meeting, following the ribbon-cutting at the West Wastewater Treatment Facility. After the event, we all took tours of the facility and were able to see how it operates. I was fascinated by the technology and the mechanics that go into wastewater treatment. The filters that are near the end of the line filter out material that is less than the width of a human hair. The module that these filters sit in reminded me of whale baleen, although the material is filtered through the straws themselves, not just through strands. A small section of these filters allow thousands of homes worth of treatment, and the technology allows us to use half the footprint of similarly sized facilities.
The Council Meeting itself was brief, with only short discussion on change orders for the Wellhouse 4 Drinking Water Project, and the annual review of the Storm Water Prevention Program. However, there was a resident that spoke during open forum that accused me of spreading a false narrative, belittling citizens, making a mockery of residents, believing I sound clever and superior, and that I am ignorant, arrogant, and unnecessarily hostile. I didn't address those comments during the new business portion of our meeting, because I think they're laughable on their face, but also because dragging the Council and staff through petty character attacks is not a good use of anyone's time. If you are a resident that already thinks this cacophony of unsubstantiated vitriol has merit, then I doubt anything I say will bring the truth to your ears.
What is my crime? Voting to deny a funding request from the Rogers Youth Hockey Association for them to build an ice rink in Rogers. This is how the leader of that organization behaves when the request is politely declined along with my explanation as to why I voted the way that I did. It doesn't seem to matter that it was a unanimous decision, and my colleagues have no problem allowing me to take all the flak. My hope is that a majority of residents see through the strong-arm tactics: if you decide that taxpayer money should not be used this way, then you'd better be prepared for the onslaught of an endless hate campaign. All the talk I have heard about the benefits to the youth when it comes to the hockey program sort of falls flat when you realize this is how the adults behave when they don't get their way.
One comment - though specious - hit a little too close to leave unaddressed... for a bit of background, charity and non-profit organizations are allowed under State law to participate in gambling activities. This is why you see pull tabs in Otsego: various organizations and youth sports groups sponsor these activities. In return, the city takes 10% of those gambling proceeds to fund things like emergency services, police, and other activities. So when the claim was made that it is only morally right to use those proceeds to fund the building of a ice rink in Rogers... I was left dumbfounded.
Never mind that the roughly $50k per year that we receive would be a drop in the bucket compared to the actual budget shortfall of the proposed rink, to claim that it should only be used by the organization that sponsors the legal gambling activity makes no sense. Why would the city take the proceeds in the first place, if that were the case? Talk about a twisted use of the term "morality." Then again, I struggle to understand many terms that the organization has put forth. In my previous newsletter, I spoke about how there continues to be talk about "partnership" without any definition of what that is supposed to mean. What are we signing up for? Again, the head of that organization - rather than providing clarity - just gave another term for the same word in a rather dismissive and entirely unhelpful tone. So, the question remains unanswered - which I believe is intentional.
As a Council Member, I treat the public funds with the same level of care and scrutiny as I treat my own funds - even more so. I don't see any reason why throwing money at a rink in another city is a good use of taxpayer funds - especially when serious and fundamental questions remain unanswered about the project.
Finally, towards the end of the meeting, an item was added to the agenda. The Council unanimously accepted the resignation of Chief Rausch, effective at the end of August. The long lead time will allow the Council to find a suitable replacement. However, the resignation of the Chief represents an important opportunity for reflection on what our City actually needs for fire service moving forward. The departure of any Fire Chief would be a disruption to a city, but we are at a juncture in the project where it demands that we take a pause and consider the needs of residents.
Next Week
Special City Council Meeting - Budget Review Day
On Monday, the City Council will meet for an all day Budget Review meeting. We will spend from noon to after 6pm going through presentations from each of the department heads and reviewing their budgets in detail. It's a long meeting, to be sure, but in the past it would take many days for us to accomplish the same thing and that became difficult to schedule. Having all the budget review on a single day is more convenient for staff and gets the bulk of the items finalized before the September deadline.
Planning Commission Meeting Canceled
The Planning Commission would normally meet on Monday. However, due to the long Budget Meeting and a lack of agenda items, the Planning Commission meeting has been canceled.
Night to Unite
The statewide Night to Unite event is scheduled for Tuesday from 5pm to 9pm. This coincides with the National Night Out events that occur in other states. Night to Unite is sponsored by the Minnesota Crime Prevention Association and is an opportunity for neighbors to get to know each other and know their law enforcement and first responders. Many neighborhoods have signed up for a visit from the Wright County Sheriff's Office, the Fire Departments, and Ambulance Services in the area.
Have a safe and happy Night to Unite!