Thursday, January 18, 2007
Cycle
Today during Committee Meetings, there were a number of items which I would like to post and discuss. In this post I am interested in your opinion on the proposal to no longer have Thursday committees.
I understand that we are one of the only cities in the state of Iowa which still has standing committees, a Committee of the Whole and a Council meeting in a cycle. Most cities feel that having both committees and a COW is redundant and inefficient.
I have no problem with the council choosing to act more efficiently when we continue to ask other departments to do the same. My question and concern is for whether or not removing committees or the COW from cycles would decrease the accessibility of our local government.
I am not interested in eliminating the COW or standing committees from the cycle if our real motivation is to decrease the number of meetings Alderman must attend. If efficiency is our goal, I believe the current system can be redundant.
What is your opinion? I welcome your comments here.
Shawn Hamerlinck
I understand that we are one of the only cities in the state of Iowa which still has standing committees, a Committee of the Whole and a Council meeting in a cycle. Most cities feel that having both committees and a COW is redundant and inefficient.
I have no problem with the council choosing to act more efficiently when we continue to ask other departments to do the same. My question and concern is for whether or not removing committees or the COW from cycles would decrease the accessibility of our local government.
I am not interested in eliminating the COW or standing committees from the cycle if our real motivation is to decrease the number of meetings Alderman must attend. If efficiency is our goal, I believe the current system can be redundant.
What is your opinion? I welcome your comments here.
Shawn Hamerlinck
# posted by Hamerlinck @ 7:07 PM 
Comments:
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The Thursday committee meetings are a waste of time and efficiency. All items of business should be brought up and discussed in the presence of the Mayor and full council. The aldermen need to hear first hand the moment something of issue is brought up. This would eliminate a ton of e-mails and phone calls to the other aldermen that are not on a particular committee.
This would also eliminate those making public comment from having to repeat themselves at the full council sessions.
Thank you, Shawn.
This would also eliminate those making public comment from having to repeat themselves at the full council sessions.
Thank you, Shawn.
# posted by 
: 1/19/2007 07:27:00 AM
: 1/19/2007 07:27:00 AM
As predicted weeks ago:
http://davenport-iowa.blogspot.com/2007/01/more-foolish-talk-at-city-hall.html
http://davenport-iowa.blogspot.com/2007/01/more-foolish-talk-at-city-hall.html
# posted by : 1/19/2007 11:22:00 AM
: 1/19/2007 11:22:00 AM
Call the first meeting of the council whatever you like. But once it's held put 5-8 business days in between it and the last meeting of the cycle. Citizens need time to become informed, to participate and get ready for the votes to come. It will also give the staff time to do followup work for the council. The council constantly asks for information and the staff gives excuse after excuse for not providing it. (BTW, if a department head can't anticipate at least some of what the council may want to know on a subject that' on the agenda, they should be fired for incompetance. Good riddance to Mr. Lloyd who is Mr. stonewall himself)
# posted by : 1/19/2007 08:56:00 PM
: 1/19/2007 08:56:00 PM
Next thing you will want to do is schedule the meetings at 10 am so you can get home in time for lunch. Do your job and stop trying to get out of your responsabilities.
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# posted by : 1/21/2007 02:50:00 PM
: 1/21/2007 02:50:00 PM << Home
