Where will the meeting be???

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   When and where is the budget meeting???

According to the latest City Manager's newsletter:

"May 5 [Thursday] City Council Budget meeting w/ Staff City Bldg. 4C 5:00 p.m."
According to a story in today's local newspaper:

"City Council has scheduled a special budget meeting Wednesday [May 4] in conference room 2C in the city building"
So when and where will the meeting be held???  And are these just honest mistakes...or intentional misdirections to try to keep the budget meeting as PRIVATE as possible???

Of course, they could just hold ALL City Council meetings in City Council CHAMBERS, but that would be too simple, wouldn't it???  [It would also allow the meetings to be broadcast to THE PUBLIC, and we can't have that now, can we???  After all, an informed electorate could be very dangerous to some of these folks, both elected and appointed!!!]  

WHY is City Hall so afraid of an informed electorate???

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Mike_Presta Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Council Joined: Apr 20 2008 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3483	Post Options Post Reply Quote Mike_Presta Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Where will the meeting be??? Posted: May 02 2011 at 5:10am
	When and where is the budget meeting??? *According to the latest City Manager's newsletter:* "May 5 [Thursday] City Council Budget meeting w/ Staff City Bldg. 4C 5:00 p.m." *According to a story in today's local newspaper:* "City Council has scheduled a special budget meeting Wednesday [May 4] in conference room 2C in the city building" So when and where will the meeting be held??? And are these just honest mistakes...or intentional misdirections to try to keep the budget meeting as PRIVATE as possible??? Of course, they could just hold *ALL* City Council meetings in City Council CHAMBERS, but that would be too simple, wouldn't it??? [It would also allow the meetings to be broadcast to *THE PUBLIC, and we can't have that now, can we??? After all, an informed electorate could be very dangerous to some of these folks, both elected and* appointed!!!] *WHY is City Hall so afraid of an informed electorate???*
	“Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012

Mike_Presta Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Council Joined: Apr 20 2008 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3483	Post Options Post Reply Quote Mike_Presta Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: May 03 2011 at 5:04am
	Where will tonight’s *city council work session* be held??? According to the City Manager’s latest newsletter: “May 3 Council Work Session City building Conf. Rm. 4C 5:30 p.m.” According to a story this morning in a local newspaper: “City Council will discuss the street policy during the work session beginning at 5:30 p.m. in conference room 2C. Of course, they could just hold *ALL* City Council meetings in City Council CHAMBERS, but that would be too simple, wouldn't it??? [It would also allow the meetings to be broadcast to *THE PUBLIC, and we can't have that now, can we??? After all, an informed electorate could be very dangerous to some of these folks, both elected and* appointed!!!] *WHY is City Hall so afraid of an informed electorate???*
	“Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012

Mike_Presta Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Council Joined: Apr 20 2008 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3483	Post Options Post Reply Quote Mike_Presta Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: May 03 2011 at 5:13am
	So, two meetings of council in ONE week, and between the City Manager and the city's newspaper of record, they cannot get it straight WHERE the city council meetings will be held!!! *Should it take any more reason than that for all City Council meetings to be held in City Council Chambers???* On the other hand, I guess City Council and the Manager are getting their wish: They have confused everyone, even the newspaper of record, as to the location of City Council meetings!!!! The desire for secrecy is being met!!! *What is being discussed that you are so ashamed or afraid to discuss in full view of as many Middletonians as possible???*
	“Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012

Mike_Presta Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Council Joined: Apr 20 2008 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3483	Post Options Post Reply Quote Mike_Presta Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: May 03 2011 at 8:54pm
	Tonight, during the regular city council meeting, Mayor Lawrence P. Mulligan, Jr., stated that the special meeting for budget discussions would not be a special meeting. He stated that it would be a continuation of this (tonight's) regular meeting and it would be held "Thurday here in Council Chambers." So, now we have TWO different days: Wednesday, May 4, and Thursday, May 5; and THREE different locations: Conference Room 2C, Meeting Room 4C, and Council Chambers!!! *So, does ANYONE actually know when and where this meeting will be held????*
	“Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012

Mike_Presta Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Council Joined: Apr 20 2008 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3483	Post Options Post Reply Quote Mike_Presta Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: May 04 2011 at 3:51am
	We have a new entry in the "When and Where Will City Council Meet Next Sweepstakes" !!! According to the 12:44 a. m. version of a story in the on-line version of the local newspaper: "City Council will hold a special meeting to discuss $3.7 million in cuts to the 2012 budget Thursday. The meeting will begin at 5 p.m. in *council chambers, One Donham Plaza." Please recall that all earlier reports from this source indicated that the meeting would be in Conference room 2C. Now they seem to agree with Mayor Lawrence P. Mulligan, Jr. that it will be held in Council Chambers, but our newspaper of record states that it will be a "special meeting"* while the Mayor indicated that it will be a continuation of Tuesday's "regular meeting" !!! The City Manager has not yet chimed in with her revised guess at where and when it will be held, but her new weekly newsletter is due out any time now with her new entry in the sweepstakes!!! Is anyone else confused??? A good deal of the confusion could be eliminated if Council would simply *hold ALL council meetings in City Council Chambers!!!* Then we would only have to guess about the day, time, and the type of meeting!!!
	“Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012

Mike_Presta Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Council Joined: Apr 20 2008 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3483	Post Options Post Reply Quote Mike_Presta Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: May 04 2011 at 4:00am
	Now, who wants to guess whether or not this regular/special meeting will be televised??? Could City Council possibly have the gall to refuse to televise the budget discussions (some budget discussions have already been held during the semi-secret, upstairs "work" sessions) but still ask the citizens for MORE TAX MONEY??? Could even our nervy council have THAT much gall, as to discuss the budget in as closed a session as they can possibly get by with, and still expect the public to support their conclusions without being privy to the discussions???
	“Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012

Mike_Presta Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Council Joined: Apr 20 2008 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3483	Post Options Post Reply Quote Mike_Presta Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: May 04 2011 at 10:36am
	This week's City Manager's Newsletter has just arrived, and it contains the latest entry in the "When and Where Will City Council Meet Next Sweepstakes" !!! According to this newsletter: "May 5 City Council Budget meeting w/ Staff City Bldg. location TBD 5:00 p.m." Yes, folks, that's right!!! "location TBD" (To Be Determined)!!! Ya gotta hand it to our City Manager--no one will be able to say that she is "wrong" with this latest entry. Sort of makes it tough on anyone who wants to attend, though, doesn't it??? *If this fiasco doesn't convince council to hold ALL meetings in their City Council Chambers, they all ought to have their heads examined (and be voted out at the earliest opportunity)!!!*
	“Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012

Mike_Presta Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Council Joined: Apr 20 2008 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3483	Post Options Post Reply Quote Mike_Presta Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: May 04 2011 at 11:15am
	Oh, and given the City Law Director's new penchant for the letter of the law, I guess he'll be busy preparing a report to the Butler County Prosecuting Attorney regarding the failure of the City of Middletown to comply with § 208.03 (b) of the City's Codified Ordinances, and a report to the Attorney General of the State of Ohio regarding the City's failure to comply with ORC 121.22 (F): "Every public body, by rule, shall establish a reasonable method whereby any person may determine the time and place of all regularly scheduled meetings and the time, place, and purpose of all special meetings." It has obviously been demonstrated that "the time and place" of this week's meetings could not have been determined by "any person"!!! *Go get 'em, Counselor!!!*
	“Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012