So if I were to ask you where you would look to find out information about what the city council of Duvall were doing, how many of you would say the lower right hand corner on page 3 of the sports section in the Seattle Times? Well that's exactly where you will find it.
In a little section about 1 inch by 1 1/2 inches in Friday's edition of the paper you will find a little notice that says the City of Duvall is holding a Budget Retreat at the Public Works Conference room on Wednesday June 2nd at 6pm.
For those of you that do not know where the public works building is, it is located at 14525 Main St. right next to the sewer treatment plant. Or for those of you who don't hang out there it is across the street from Thrive Fitness.
Oh and as a bonus there will be a presentation from the Economic Development Committee on the Future Duvall Survey. Yes this is the same survey whose results were put out months ago by Think2A. Apparently the EDC was able to gather useful policy information from a survey that they thought was poorly constructed, subjectively answered and they questioned whether or not it even represented the community. But I digress.
I think the way the city has chosen to notify the public of this type of meeting is at best poor planning and at worst downright offensive. It seems like they are doing all they can to keep the public away. They "legally" notify us via a newspaper that only 35% of the city gets, they hold it at the Public Works building rather than the normal fire house or city hall locations or even the high school, and they don't even list it on the city website.
This stinks, and that's not just because the meeting will be next to the sewer treatment plant!
How much control does the city council have over the layout of the paper? If they don't have control the positioning of the article may simply be a best-fit by an editor and not malicious.
ReplyDeleteThat being said - I have read the various valley papers and found little value in them so I don't subscribe. If I want to know what the city council is doing, I go to their web site. If they truly wanted to notify the community about what they are doing in an open manner then the web site would be the best way to go.
Thomas,
ReplyDeleteFirst, I enjoy reading your posts. They are thoughtful, on point, and the little bit of humor in there is good, too... You definitely see the ridiculousness of the situation.
Second, if it weren't for this post, I wouldn't have known where to go tonight. I had heard that the budget retreat was today but wasn't sure where to go. So, thanks for putting it out there.
Third, the city should be embarrassed. There is no excuse to schedule a meeting in a tiny little room tucked in an obscure, industrial part of town, where no one goes. It is not conducive to public meetings and, given the city's history, they won't reschedule or move the meeting to another location when the public shows up.
Yeah, it stinks - and so does a lot of other stuff they're doing these days.
I thought it was a sustainability committee now. They're still calling it an economic development committee? (smile) - that would be silly of them since nothing they are doing has any economic impact. No summits, no business policies that we know of, no assistance with sign code which we have been asking for, and no communication with any of us about what they're doing to help. They're just talking about new priorities this and that. Its an excuse to dawdle on tax payers dime/time.
ReplyDeleteI suppose I am mostly disappointed. The city has the opportunity to show that they are open and available to the citizens and they blew it. I was interested to hear Councilmember Ockerlander talk about ways to increase public access to imformation in a timely manner and it seemed like the city might be doing better.
ReplyDeleteIt is just sad that they feel the need to make it harder for the citizens than it should be.
glad to see that the meeting time and date are listed on the city website. Just a note one councilmember found out about the meting location by reading the blog and another did not know where the meeting was. We can do better!
ReplyDeleteI'd be curious to find out whether the councilmembers who either were unaware of the meeting or didn't know where it was are in favor of or against the sustainability committee. I would not be surprised to find out that the deck was stacked in favor of the councilmembers who support the sustainability committee.
ReplyDeleteOne of each, Bart.
ReplyDeleteI am aware of 3 councilmembers that did not know about the location of the meeting. One was in support of it, one was nuetral, and one was skeptical. There wasnt a vote about anything so I don't think there was any political motivation behind it.
ReplyDeleteI just think the city has very little credibility on the issue of informing the public and being open to citizen oversight.
So here are the things I learned tonight.
ReplyDelete1. The city's financial situation is very tight.
2. The Council seems very concerned about funding priorities first.
3. No one actually talked about what the priorities are. And
4. Harry should get his steering checked on his car. (I thought it was funny Harry)
I'm glad to hear that this was most likely a miscommunication or a breakdown in communications instead of an underhanded political move.
ReplyDeleteI assume no one talked about what the priorities are because it is so obvious that the priority is public safety. If our families are not safe then we can not enjoy the parks, the trails, the shopping, the restaurants, our homes... everything Duvall has to offer! This is something King County doesn't seem to understand and is going to suffer for until they do get it. I am glad to live in a city that does understand public safety is the fundamental priority.
ReplyDeleteDave
Here, here on public safety. How lucky we are to live in a city that's safe - the PD does a great job. I think safety - more than sustainability - plays an important role in everything the city does. Or, at least it should. It should be the top priority. Once you let it slide, it will be a long time before you can recover a sense of trust and comfort in the community.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean, "Check your driving" in comment above?
ReplyDeletelet's just say that Harry should get his alignment checked.
ReplyDeleteRight. Ok, but what does that mean? Like, his alignment of the budget or his actual car or what?
ReplyDeleteWell, I will say this. Next time I see Harry Driving in my direction I am going to jump over the concrete barrier to ensure I am well out of his path.
ReplyDeleteReally?? Wow.
ReplyDeleteThe city has gone to a pay-online kind of water bill, etc. but the monthly newsletter generated by the city has always been a good idea - a good way to get info out to residents. I hardly think everyone spends as much time tweeting and twittering (or whatever they call it) as some think. Social media is fine but its not used by all of us. We have a mix of residents of different ages, and sometimes a piece of paper such as the newsletter can go a long way to inform the public - where, when, why the meeting (retreat, council, etc) is going to be held. I don't get how people (council) talk about the need for open government and then work so hard to keep the public out of the loop.
ReplyDelete