City Council Meeting Audio 11/08/06

This Council meeting was dominated by the mythical Riverwalk project. And; wouldn’t you know it; three more immediate and very important issues slid by in the shadows. The first hour of the meeting was all Riverwalk and almost all against it. By the time the topic was exhausted so were we—the entire audience.

We were too exhausted to object to the final vote on the allocation of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) being done without an itemized disbursement of the funds. (SECTION (a) #9 UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Bill No.106, Allocations for the 2007 CDBG Funds) And guess what…? At least one item of contention was quietly funded.

We were too exhausted to ask what language was being changed in City consultation contracts. And thus we never noticed that the taxpayers protection was being ripped from the pages. The excluded language was noncompetitive hiring clauses that offered restitution to the city coffers if carpet-bagging consulting agencies snatched our employees.

We were too exhausted to notice City Council tip-toeing into agreement with the Suburban Water Authority. And obviously so were the members of AFSCME Local #447, because they were not in attendance to question the General Manager Mr. Roy White about the deal. If it weren’t for Councilwoman Vulcano asking questions to the interest of the city workers the entire audience would have missed the implications of their vote. (SECTION (a) #17 NEW BUSINESS: Bill No. 123, Approving a Lease and Operating Agreement between the City of Easton, and the Easton Suburban Water Authority.)

The word of the day:

obfuscate

The Audio 18.5(Mb). The meeting agenda 56(kb).

Your neighbors