During the initial meeting of the Conceptual Design Review Board, a Board that no longer exists, the Mayor stated that he did not need to know the code because he had staff. This attitude has been reflected by the rest of the Council. They do not know the Codes, nor do they know the rules and guidelines that direct the Town. Here are two examples of their lack of recognition:
On the Consent Agenda for the March 21, 2018 Council meeting was the Financial Update through Jan. 2018. On the recent May 16, 2018 Council meeting, on the Consent Agenda was the Financial Update through March 2018. Neither of these was taken off the Consent Agenda for discussion. However, the real question is: WHERE IS THE FINANCIAL UPDATE FOR FEBURARY 2018? This Council must know that the Citizens are very interested in the progress, or lack thereof, of the Community Center and the associated golf. Yet this Council has failed to recognize that staff NEVER presented the financials for February 2018.
Everybody recognizes that the Community Center/Golf has been an ongoing exercise since the decision was made to purchase it from HSL in 2015. The Sales Tax increase has been ongoing in an attempt to reduce the losses. Now the Council is about to pass a budget that includes a bond that provides $6 million for the Community Center/Golf. I doubt that the Council and even the new Town Manager is aware of a Town’s Financial and Budgetary Policies.
On page 47 of the FY 17/18 Annual Budget, under the Town’s Financial and Budgetary Policies, is the statement, “The Town shall not use long term debt to finance current operations.” The Community Center is a current operation, and a bond is a long term debt…so how does this happen?
It happens because the Council philosophy is they don’t need to know the code or Town policies because they have staff. Why hasn’t the Council realized that they have never exposed to the February 2018 financial update? Why doesn’t the Council ask staff to justify a proposed bond that is against the Towns policies?
These are rhetorical questions because we all know the Council does not care.