Stow Citizens For Responsible Government

CITY COUNCIL PULLING A FAST ONE?

by SCRGadmin on Jan.13, 2010, under Uncategorized

At tomorrow’s (1/14/10) council meeting city council will propose an emergency legislation that will allow the city’s Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) to own, or partly own, a business or businesses in Stow.  This organization will also be able to offer loans and insure them.

We have no heartburn with Council’s plan to move ahead with this legislation however we do demand that the Mayor and Council proceed legally.  A few items are bothersome:

 Does this mean we will be paying city employees to attend a “voluntary” meeting?  Does Mr. Earle, the city’s Budget Director, get paid for attending this “voluntary citizens board”?

In addition to all the above, how about charter provision 4.14 that states that council cannot pass an emergency measure that will delegate part of its power to a sub-organization.  This must be done with the usual three readings of the proposal.  Is this whole thing legal?

Here is the section of the city charter dealing with emergency resolutions:

Each emergency resolution and ordinance shall contain a statement of the necessity for such emergency action, and its enactment shall require the affirmative vote of at least six members of Council if all members are present, or the affirmative vote of at least five members if one or more members are absent.

No action of Council authorizing the surrender or joint exercise of any of its powers, or in granting any franchise, or in the enactment, amendment, or repeal of any zoning or building resolution or ordinance, or in the changing of any ward boundaries, or in authorizing any change in the boundaries of the Municipality, shall be enacted as an emergency measure.

How about some of you new members of council sitting back and taking a look at this issue.  We urge you to do the job the people of Stow elected you to do.  Is some of this proposal smelling like politics as usual?  Please make sure it’s done the way it’s supposed to be done!

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5 Comments for this entry

  • wizard
    January 13th, 2010 on 10:52 pm

    What’s with these people. We just elected a batch of new council members and they are hardly in office when the crap starts to fly again! If were re-elected to council it is because we trusted you. If you are new to council it is because we trusted you. DO IT LEGAL!!!!

  • wtfstow
    January 14th, 2010 on 2:31 pm

    I wish I could run my business like City Council seems to run Stow. I can see it now: Every time I need to pass something through and skip the investors, I’ll simply tack on “emergency legislation” and avoid looking anyone in the eyes for the rest of the day in the office in hopes that no one will ask any questions before I can get the signatures!

    SCRG: Keep asking the tough questions for the rest of us! Stow is like a very adorable (yet sometimes ignorant) dog… you know you love him, but sometimes that lost little guy is just asking for a whack on the nose.

    -Proud Stow Resident

  • raven
    January 19th, 2010 on 7:49 pm

    WHAT CONCERNS ME MOST IS THAT RON ALEXANDER AND JANET D’ANTONIO WHO RECENTLY VIOLATED THE CITY’S CHARTER AND THE STATE’S SUNSHINE LAW, SERVE ON THE COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT CORPORATION AS TRUSTEES. HOW CAN WE TRUST THEM WITH DISPENSING OF THE CITY’S SURPLUS PROPERTY, NON-BID CONTRACTS TO IMPROVE THE PROPERTY FOR SALE, AND LOANING TAX PAYER MONEY FROM THE BED TAX FUND TO PRIVATE COMPANIES IN THE CITY, IF WE CAN’T TRUST THEM TO FOLLOW OUR MOST BASIC OF RULES?

  • MizQue
    January 31st, 2010 on 5:22 am

    IMO, this city has been run by certain persons as if it were their own private fiefdom. Any time I have been at a gathering of Stow city residents, every single comment on how this city is run has been scathing and negative. I would love to see an outside investigator come to Stow and evaluate the goings on in city government. I don’t think matters like this would bear close scrutiny.

  • JackIsSmarterThanU
    February 9th, 2010 on 3:06 pm

    Raven –

    Can you please cite an official finding to support your claim that those 2 members violated said ordinances/laws?

    And what you THINK they did does not count. An official court ruling or administrative ruling does. So, please cite it.

    Thanks,
    JH

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