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Last night, many of us who attended the council meeting were primarily concerned about approving a multiuse gymnasium to be located on the grounds of Newhart Middle School. It became apparent to me from the very outset that this issue had been decided. Prior to our elected officials’ hearing from the voters who elected them, two members (Kelly and MacLean) were in favor of this gym regardless of what information was learned at the meeting. Likewise, it was equally clear that two members (Reavis and Ledesma) were opposed and showed complete disregard for the opinions of the voters. Mr. Ury, as the lone council member still asking tough questions, appeared to be the only one willing to consider any information presented at the meeting. This measure was rejected for many reasons, some budgetary, some logistical, some due to previous hard feelings about working with Capo USD. Clearly, some were due to this being painted as a "seniors vs. families" issue. As I spoke in favor of building this gym, I am certainly disappointed in the outcome. In my humble opinion, we as citizens have several things to watch quite closely. 1) If city policy mandates that we retain a reserve budget of 15 percent ($7.5 million) and our reserves are currently 60 percent ($30 million-plus), then we should learn precisely for what purpose we are hoarding this money. I could understand our council voting against spending $1.5 million if the $30 million in reserves is already 100 percent spoken for, but no information was presented to support that conclusion. Our city manager did little to explain this. As voting citizens, we have the right to know this information. 2) Fiscal prudence is to be admired, both in the family and in our city coffers. At the same time, we as citizens have a right to the very monies collected from our taxes. I respect our council for being prudent with what is spent, but they are also elected to weigh what expenditures are in the best interest of our community. Clearly, the landslide majority of our citizens supported this gym being built. If we truly did not have the funds available and if building the gym would cause us to go into debt, then the council made the correct decision. Likewise, if we have a 300 percent reserve, then it was fiscally irresponsible to turn away the state tax dollars offered to us. 3) The childish hostility displayed by Gail Reavis had a large number of the audience dismayed at her petty and immature outbursts in front of our children. Hers is the exact behavior that earns our children reprimands and timeouts. We should consider this behavior when we select our future elected officials. 4) Since Council Member Ury was the sole member who appeared to be weighing facts and testimony last night, perhaps we should each contact him about his solo reasons for voting as he did on this measure. Thank you for your time and consideration. Terry Hanrahan |
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