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Balzarini Resigns

Coleen Balzarini, the Fiscal Service Director for the City of Great Falls, submitted her resignation, effective the end of the year.

She'll be working in a similar position for the McLaughlin Research Institute.

About Time

Finally. The Great Falls Tribune is finally reporting on the problems plaguing ECP.

Why did it have to take five years and 5 million dollars (including water credits) later to finally report the reality of this gross misuse of taxpayer's money?

See here for an abbreviated version of Sunday's (Nov. 14) article.

SME July 2010 Board Meeting Agenda

H/T: A.D.

City Manager Doyon recently wrote to Southern Board members that although the city has not recently sent a representative to its meetings, the city still needs to receive copies of its agendas. Note that after five years of doing business with the city, Tim Gregori lost the city's email address.

Advisory Board Openings

The city currently has these advisory board openings:

ADVISORY COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

Two openings are available on the Advisory Commission on International Relationships for three-year terms through March 31, 2013. The Commission provides support, coordination and exchange of information for international programs in the community. Meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM. For more information contact Kelly Audet at 455-8440.

HOUSING AUTHORITY BOARD (GREAT FALLS)
The Great Falls Housing Authority Board has one opening for a two-year term for a tenant member, representing the elderly, through June 30, 2012. The Housing Authority provides safe, decent, sanitary, and affordable housing for the community’s low income residents. They also set policy for operation and management of public housing properties; HUD-Section 8 programs, and other affordable housing programs. The Board also serves as the loan committee for the City’s Housing Rehabilitation Program. Expertise in the areas of finance, accounting, architecture and engineering are desired. Board meetings are held the third Thursday of each month at noon, for approximately two hours. For more information, contact Kevin Hager at 453-4311.

DESIGN REVIEW BOARD
The Design Review Board has one opening for a three-year term through March 31, 2013. The Board reviews specified types of development proposals to ensure that the design and aesthetics conform to the review criteria contained in the municipal code. The current opening is for an architect. Members are appointed with an effort to achieve a diversity of expertise, background and interest. Board meetings are held on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month if needed. Applicants must reside within the City of Great Falls. For more information, contact Kim McCleary at 455-8405.

Applications are available at the City Manager's Office, Civic Center, Room 201, by calling 455-8450, or by using the online, fill-out, print, and mail/fax Board Opening Application which is available in PDF format.

SME Told To Stop Construction

According to this article at KRTV, SME has been directed by Cascade County to stop construction activities at its site on Salem Road. This is response to last week's Montana Supreme Court ruling that the county illegally spot-zoned when rezoning agricultural land to heavy industrial in March 2008.

It IS Considered Spot Zoning

The Montana Supreme court ruled in favor (page 31) for the plaintiffs and appellants.

According to this ruling, Cascade County illegally spot-zoned the property for the coal plant when they changed the zoning from agricultural to heavy industrial.

Not surprisingly, Tim Gregori says that SME will ask the court to reconsider their decision, because it was based on "outdated and erroneous facts".

Beartooth Bylaws Committee Suspended

Once again, Beartooth Co-op is being jerked around by SME. In the lastest go-around, their Bylaw Committee has been suspended (page 2).

Below is a response from co-op member and avid advocate for transparency, Arlene Boyd:

Beartooth Co-op Board needs to support open, transparent bylaw revision, now.

The “suspension” of the Beartooth Electric Cooperative Bylaw Committee is very disappointing. Without consulting members at-large or the members of the bylaw committee, the Beartooth Board of Trustees has stopped the committee’s work.

Bylaws are the contract between an organization and its members. Co-op bylaws define procedures for the organization and specify member rights and responsibilities.

Most of us do not understand the reported connection between a postcard sent out by the Stillwater and Carbon County Resource Councils and the board’s decision to suspend the bylaw committee. If the Beartooth Board objects to the councils’ postcard supporting mail-in elections they should take the matter up with the councils. There is no reason to shut down the bylaw committee, which represents Beartooth members, not the councils.

We have the highest electricity rates in Montana. Our wholesale supplier, Southern Montana Electric (Southern), a cooperative we established and finance, operates in bylaw-permitted secrecy. Southern spends enormous amounts of our money without informing us, seeking our input, or asking for our approval. The bylaws are much more important than an irrelevant spat about a postcard. They are even more important than mail-in balloting which is only one aspect of a fair election process.

It is time to thank the board and the committee members for their hard work and to insist that they reconvene and provide a transparent bylaw review process with open reporting and opportunity for member input. The bylaws need to be updated and revised with three objectives:

• To ensure that Beartooth has appropriate legal operating guidelines
• To provide strong support for transparent governance and democratic decision-making
• To require procedures for informing and involving members in all aspects of co-op activity.

Boards and committees can get caught up in controlling their process and forget what the process is supposed to do. Let’s not let that happen at Beartooth.

Arleen Boyd
Fishtail

ECP Debt

H/T: A.D.

Here you will find the ongoing debt calculations of ECP. The final tally includes the infusion (page 21) of $1.4 million of monies that was "borrowed" in 2007 from other city funds as a "security deposit" to SME. On page 37, the security deposit was supposedly released, but ECP has yet to pay back the city for the initial loan.

Posted debt as of May 2010 SME billing: ($2,018,250)

Actual debt, which includes the initial $1.4 million loan from various city funds that is still outstanding: ($3,418,250)

SME Is Sued By The Billings Gazette

Hat tip: Travis

The Billings Gazette has sued SME after one of its journalists was denied access to SME's board meeting last Friday.

Let's hope the City of Great Falls gets involved as Travis has suggested.

SME's 990s from 2004-2009

Here is a link to SME's 990 reports from 2004-2009. Interesting reading. Enjoy.

The Ongoing Quest For Open Meetings

The following email correspondences represent an ongoing struggle citizens have had to gain admittance to SME board meetings. It is truly a pathetic situation when citizens have to work so hard and put up with so much in their quest to uphold their constitutional rights. The beginning of the exchange begins at the end of this posting.

Dear Mr. Brooks,

I thank you for your timely and professional response on this matter and for advising the police accordingly. My regrets the fax wasn't available for your office as I thought I had successfully transmitted from Fort Carson, CO, but I think we're all up on the issue now. We shall now see how Southern will deal with our constitutional rights, open government and citizens who insist on transparency, accountability and oversight.

Very Respectfully,

Richard D. Liebert

----- Original Message -----
From: "Brooks, Brent"
Date: Wednesday, June 16, 2010 12:54
Subject: FW: police enforcement of co-op's closed meeting

Colonel Liebert:

I am forwarding to you as promised the recent email I sent to Arleen Boyd which also contains an additional email as an attachment. That attachment is another email sent to an attorney for SME advising what I mentioned to you a few minutes ago-that I have recommended to the Billings Police Chief Rich St John that the police respond to reports that a crime is imminent or actually in progress concerning SME meetings in Billings. I do not know if SME will have private security in the future and that is a matter for its decision.

I am also attaching the May 5, 2010, letter I sent to Mr. Frank Willett, husband of Arleen Boyd which is self explanatory and contains specific statutes that authorize a challenge to an open meetings violation.

If you have any questions on any of these items I am forwarding to you feel free to email or call me as needed.

Thanks,
Brent

Brent Brooks
Billings City Attorney
P.O. Box 1178
Billings, MT 59103
(406) 657-8205 (work)
(406) 672-8316 (cell)

From: Brooks, Brent
Sent: Monday, June 07, 2010 10:28 AM
To: 'Arleen Boyd'
Subject: RE: police enforcement of co-op's closed meeting

Mrs. Boyd:
Attached is a brief email I sent last Friday to Mary Jaraczeski, one of the attorneys representing the SME Board. Billings Police Chief St John, Assistant City attorney bonnie Sutherland and I have previously met and discussed the issues on these meetings and the attach email is the result of that meeting, several phone calls from me to attorneys John Crist, Jim Santoro and Mary Jaraczeski so I could learn more facts.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions on this and I will attempt to help as much as possible. I encourage you to work with anyone within SME or within one or more of the member cooperatives to resolve the open meetings issue.

Thanks,
Brent

Brent Brooks
Billings City Attorney
P.O. Box 1178
Billings, MT 59103
(406) 657-8205 (work)
(406) 672-8316 (cell)

From: Arleen Boyd

Sent: Monday, May 24, 2010 8:08 AM
To: Brooks, Brent
Subject: police enforcement of co-op's closed meeting
Importance: High

Dear Mr. Brooks,

I am preparing my complaint regarding the closing of the May 20, 2010, Southern Montana Electric Generation and Transmission Cooperative, Inc. board meeting. As we have discussed, the meeting should have been open to the public, yet General Manager Tim Gregori declared it closed. I am attaching, again, Great Falls City Attorney James Santoro's memorandum stating the legal case for declaring Southern's meetings open.

The Billings police enforced this order of closure by parking a Billings police vehicle directly in front of the door of the building, 3521 Gabel Road, and stationing Officer Peterson at the site to remove any "uninvited" persons from the property. Officer Peterson confronted me, several other Beartooth Electric Cooperative members, and Great Falls resident Aart Dolman in the parking lot and told us that we could not even approach the door of the building. He said that we had to stay on the sidewalk.

Following are a few facts regarding this May 20 event:

* Officer Peterson was at the site at 8:20 when I arrived and the police car was parked parallel to the building, directly in front of the door.
* The officer drove the car around the parking lot after I arrived and was talking with Mr. Dolman who had arrived earlier. The officer then parked it, again, in front of the door.
* The officer told us, in the parking lot, to leave or go to the sidewalk.
* I told him that the meeting was an open meeting.
* The officer told me that the meeting was a closed meeting.
* When I pointed out that my car was in the parking lot and that I needed to be on the property to enter it he said that it was unlikely that it would be towed away but that could legally happen.

* Aart Dolman asked for a police report to be filed so that he would have a record of exactly what had transpired and what legal action was taking place to remove us from the property.
* Officer Peterson called Sergeant Berry, his superior officer, to come and discuss a report.
* Sergeant Berry gave us a report number and explained, exactly as Officer Peterson had, that the meeting was closed by the board, that the building owner had secured police support to enforce the closure, and that we would have to leave. The officers were polite. I believe they were put in a very bad position by someone in charge of police activity. They were enforcing an illegal closure of a public meeting. I have many questions about this police action including:

* Who told them the meeting was legally closed?
* Why did they accept and repeat the contention that it was closed?
* Is it a Billings Police policy to enforce "closed meetings" on private property?
* How much does it cost to station a Billings Police officer in a parking lot for three or four hours?How much does it cost to police to use a police vehicle for three or four hours as a signal that the police support the closure?

When we tried to attend the Southern Montana Electric Generation and Transmission Cooperative's annual meeting, March 19, 2010, we were met by a police officer in the lobby of the building and threatened with arrest if we did not answer all of his questions and immediately leave the property. He was not as polite as the officers who met us on May 20. He repeated several times that we were subject to arrest if we did not cooperate with a police officer's instructions. What legal right did he have to give me and several other polite and orderly people who were making no disturbance whatsoever instructions?

I will call you this morning to ask about this complaint which relates to actions taken by Tim Gregori on behalf of the Southern Montana Electric Generation and Transmission Cooperative, Inc. board and by the Billings Police Department. We did record the May 20 morning's activity with a video camera and I have pictures of the police officers talking with us.

Yours truly,
Arleen Boyd (328-6645)

Citizens Barred Once Again

Citizens were once again barred from the SME board meeting this past Friday, June 18.

Commissioner Jolley was allowed into the meeting even though she is not the city's representative.

SME Board Minutes

Here are the SME board minutes from April 2008 through April 2010.

Balzarini Resigns

UPDATE: Here is Coleen's resignation letter.

I did not attend the ECP power board meeting last night, but according to this article, she resigned her position as executive director.

It's about time.

The ECP board, which is the City Commission, will appoint her replacement.

I certainly do not favor appointing someone within the Fiscal Service Department or any member of the City Commission. It's more than time to get an unbiased third party involved, whose main concern will be the interests of the City of Great Falls and its residents, not those of SME.

Filing of Complaint against SME

It speaks for itself.

To: James Santoro, City Attorney
Great Falls, MT.
From: Aart Dolman
Date: May 24, 2010
Re: Filing of Complaint

Dear Mr. Santoro,
The following is a letter of complaint. I a citizen of Great Falls in good standing was prevented from entering the building where SME Trustees were holding a meeting at 9:00am on Thursday, May 20, 2010. The uniformed Billings City Police had responded to a request by the owner of the building not to allow me to park my vehicle on his property and prevent me from entering the building. The Police Officers also told me that the monthly SME Trustee meeting was a “private meeting” and that I was not allowed to attend.

I had received a copy of the SME Trustee Agenda meeting which was to be scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 20, 2010. The Southern Montana Electric Cooperative Generation and Transmission Cooperative, Inc. (SME, or also known as Southern Montana Electric) have monthly meetings and since no City of Great Falls public official or employee could attend I decided as a Great Falls citizen to observe that particular meeting.

On the previous day, Wednesday, May 19, I had received from the City of Great Falls Administration a copy of this SME Trustee Board Agenda. I had requested this document from the Mayor of Great Falls during the regular scheduled City Commission Meeting.

In early January 2010, I had requested that the City of Great Falls Commission provide me with a copy of the 2008 IRS Form 990, line #14, p.6, which stated that this non-profit SME Cooperative had a policy on the Retention and Destruction of Documents. The IRS tax filing of a non-profit organization is a public document, and I felt that I had every right to request from SME copies of its policies.

When a month later Judge Phillips’ ruling allowed citizens to examine SME documents, I thought that it was unusual for me to wait several months without a response from the City of Great Falls and SME. When I requested again during the April City Commission meeting that I had not heard about my request, the Mayor requested that the City Clerk sent Mr. Gregori a letter requesting a response. A few days later, I received a copy of a letter signed by Mr. Gregori that my request would be honored by SME in a “timely manner.”

After receiving the SME Trustee Agenda for May 20, 2010, Agenda, I was thrilled that under item VIII the trusties would discuss the document issue during their meeting. Thus I traveled to Billings to attend that monthly SME Board of Trustees meeting. Since Judge Phillips had ruled that SME documents were open for public examination, I had no reason to doubt that I would not be allowed to hear and witness the discussion by SME Trustees.

Shortly after 8:00am, on May 20th, 2010,I arrived at the building where the offices of SME are located on 3521 Gable Road, Billings, MT., and parked my vehicle in the south side parking area next to the side walk. I waited there for Beartooth Electric Cooperative members who were also interested in attending the SME Board of Trustee meeting. About fifteen minutes later Arleen Boyd and Larry Luhoff, and three others came and parked their vehicles in the same area. There was a continued flow of people in and out of the building. Because it was a multipurpose business building, the SME Trustee meeting was scheduled to be in the building’s ECI Conference Room.

About 8:25a.m, a Billings Police car arrived in the parking area and continued to the main entrance of the building. A uniformed Police Officer went into the building and a few minutes later he left the main entrance and walked directly to our group. He introduced himself as Officer Peterson and I introduced myself as a citizen from Great Falls. After the introductions, he informed the group, without asking our reason or purpose of the visit, that the owner of the property wanted us to leave the parking area and go to the nearby sidewalk and to continue our conversation with him. He also maintained that the meeting inside the building was a “private meeting” and that we could not enter the building.

After Arlene Boyd explained and informed the Billings Police Officer Peterson that we were here to attend the SME Trustee meeting, she showed him a packet of information which included a copy of the SME Trustee Agenda and the “Open Meeting” statement by City of Great Falls Attorney Mr. Santoro. To no avail the Police Officer stated repeatedly that this was a “private meeting” and that the owner of the building would not allow us to be in the parking area and the building for it was his private property. After a few minutes of conversation, I requested from the Police Officer where I could obtain a copy of this incident report and he told me that since this was a civil matter, not a criminal one, that there would be no police report. In the meantime, I had been informed that Police Officer Peterson was off-duty and had been hired by the owner of the building for the specific purpose of keeping our group of this property. This was puzzling and troublesome for me because the owner of a multi-use building prevented me from entering a building while others were free to enter and leave. So I requested from Police Officer Peterson that I meet with his shift commander. After a short discussion, the Police Officer walked a few paces away from us and when he returned he told me that SGT. Berry was on his way to meet with us.

In about 15 minutes, Billings Police SGT Berry arrived and joined us in the parking area next to the side walk. He also stated that we could not enter the parking lot or the building. This was at the request from the owner of the building and that the SME Trustee meeting was “private.” The public was not allowed. During our discussion with the police SGT, he read a copy of the Great Falls City Attorney ruling on “Open Meetings.” After a lengthy discussion, I asked for a copy of the police report and was told that this was a civil issue and not a criminal one; therefore there would not be a report. A police report would only be filed if there was a criminal incident. Again this conversation was troublesome and puzzling for me, and I wanted to ask if there was a Police Report of an earlier incident in the same building. Some of the members of our group had been trying to observe a SME Trustee meeting last February. I had seen the video where they had been ill-treated by SME Trustee members and the owner of the building in the hall way and were insulted by negative language including in offensive gestures while they were waiting for the Billings Police to arrive. I did not want the same pattern to occur. Therefore, I asked SGT Berry that, as a law abiding citizens, how I could enter the building and observe a meeting for which I had every right to attend? Certainly, a law obeying citizen would respect the order given by the Police but yet it seemed strange that the Billings Police would allow an illegal meeting. This was the reason for my request of a Police Report. Sergeant Berry informed me that there was already a record because someone with a video camera was present. After some more amicable and civilized discussion, SGT Berry promised me that he would write a report of this event. He then requested that we give him our names, addresses, and social security numbers. The group provided him with our names, etc.

In the meantime, Arleen Boyd had made four telephone calls to the Billings City Attorney Mr. Brooks on my private cell-phone and on the last call she discovered that he had a meeting with the Billings Police Chief and another official discussing our case. They requested that we give them a copy of the SME Trustee Agenda. Since we had given our copies to others so we had none to give to SGT Berry. Arleen Boyd then suggested that the SGT ask Mr. Gregori inside of the building for a copy of the Trustee Agenda. After about twenty minutes the SGT returned and stated that he could not get a copy of the SME Trustee Agenda from Mr. Gregori. Our group promised him to email a copy to the Billings Chief of Police and City Attorney.

After shaking hands with the Police Officers, I left the parking lot at approximately 10:15am after I received a card from Police Officer Peterson which stated the number, 10-21746, for a police report.* (See attached exhibit)

ECP Bailout

Last week, Larry Rezentes, a CPA and watchdog for the ECP boondoggle, wrote the mayor and city commissioners in anticipation of the May 3 ECP board meeting. Below is his analysis of the resolution reached at that meeting to potentially exit the power business. Included is a link to his documentation:

At Monday night’s meeting, the Electric City Power Board approved resolutions to have city staff develop a city strategy to potentially exit from the electric power business, and for the ECP executive director to approach customers about their willingness to move pricing of their contracts with ECP to cost plus. A major element of the city staff work will be done by our new city attorney in assessing individual contracts and exposures to litigation against the city from ECP customers and from SME. I cover what I believe are premises that should exist to actions by the city, the suggested action course to shut down ECP, and the correction of misconceptions as to the risks presented by the potential for customer and SME litigation, in the attached material, and so I won’t belabor them now.

Suffice it to say, however, that the current parallel track action course to “explore” shutdown and increased pricing is both a trap and an implicit acceptance of the assumption that the city has the authority to continue in its misguided and illegal operation of ECP. This, while ECP loses additional taxpayer money ($234,674 in the first three months of this calendar year) in violation of ECP’s founding ordinance in the meantime, and with the same individuals in charge who were and are in charge while these losses occurred and continue to occur. A trap, because it continues the never ending saga with no decision ever being made to terminate ECP, while giving cover to the city while the losses continue. A mistake, in its implicit premise that to make a decision to shut down ECP there must be assurance of zero risk of litigation in doing so. It is interesting though that suddenly, at this late hour, ECP is going to approach customers to obtain price increases to stanch the losses. A part of the suggested solution of cost plus, incidentally, would come by increasing pricing of power that the city itself purchases from ECP, resulting in the passing on of the burden of ECP losses even more directly to the taxpayers.

I addressed his honor, the mayor, as ECP Board Chair, and suggested others (by inference, the city attorney) could elect to respond on the issue as well, of the basis under which the city continues operating ECP in violation of the law while losses continue to mount. The mayor simply would not answer the question, other than to say that it would take time to exit the business. However, as City Attorney Santoro correctly was quoted in the Great Falls Tribune as stating, the resolutions passed do not even place us in the position of having made a decision to do so.

So, another jovial meeting of city government and staff, while the taxpayers continue to lose money in the interest of the few businesses that have benefited from subsidized pricing that in large measure resulted in the losses ECP has sustained.

Larry
Rezentes

No Work Session

There will be no City Commission work session tomorrow night, May 4.

Doesn't seem quite right given that a few hot issues are facing our city right now that could be discussed:

1. ECP robbing the general fund of nearly $3,000/day to stay afloat

2. Consideration being given to closing the Natatorium because it isn't making money

3. Animal shelter funding

Public Comment Time

It's a good idea that the City Commission has decided to switch public comment back to the end of the meeting. Having it at the beginning was too time consuming and by the time the regular agenda items were discussed, everybody had lost interest and just wanted out of there.

Unfortunately, that's not the end of the story. It seems that City Manager Doyon is tired of public comment time being used as an "inquisition" of his staff. In fact, he's suggested that if it doesn't stop, he will allow them to be excused from the meeting.

Wrong.

If city staff, including Mr. Doyon, can't be bothered one way or the other to respond to questions concerning activities involving their departments, they don't have any business being in the job.

Citizens have the right to make appropriate inquiries at City Commission meetings. Some questions are easily answered, which has been demonstrated, while others may take some research. That's fine. Folks understand that not every question can necessarily be answered on the spot. It is expected though that an answer be forthcoming in a reasonable amount of time and not simply ignored.

It's high time that our well-paid city staff, including our city manager, remember that they work FOR US, not the other way around.

By RICHARD ECKE • Tribune Staff Writer • April 30, 2010

The public comment period will be moved toward the end of City Commission meetings, commissioners decided this week.

In December, City Manager Greg Doyon suggested the commission's public comment period be moved toward the beginning of its meetings.

"I think the flow would be a little better," Doyon said at the time.

Commissioners tried the approach for four months. The comment period, called "petitions and communications," on the agenda, can last 20 minutes or even an hour, depending on how many people want to speak.

At an agenda-setting meeting Wednesday, commissioners decided to give up the experiment for now.

"I really, really think that it's better at the end," Commissioner Mary Jolley said.

"I agree with that," Commissioner Bill Bronson said.

Mayor Michael Winters also said he agreed for the time being. Winters said television news people complained that holding the public comment period at the beginning of the meeting prevented them from staying to hear many hotly debated issues because of their deadlines to meet for a 10 p.m. newscast. The commission's regular meetings start at 7 p.m.

Bronson added that he has received telephone calls from a Tribune reporter to his cell phone during meetings after the reporter left the meeting to meet deadline.

"It's your meeting," Doyon told commissioners. "Thanks for humoring me for a few months."

Some regular speakers during the commission's public comment period this year are John "Johnny Angry" Hubbard, Mike Witsoe, Ron and Kathleen Gessaman, Brett Doney, Aart Dolman, Larry Rezentes, Richard Liebert, Travis Kavulla and Stuart Lewin.

During Wednesday's discussion, Bronson said he thinks speakers should be reminded to address commissioners and not mug for cable Channel 7 cameras in the room.
Jolley said she believes members of the public have the right to turn their heads in any direction they choose. Winters sided with Bronson on the head-turning issue question.

Liebert, chairman of Citizens for Clean Energy, rapped commissioners Thursday for trying to tell the public where to look when speaking at city meetings.

"I vigorously disagree with that," Liebert said, terming the suggestion "intolerable."

Doyon also told commissioners during Wednesday's meeting that he does not believe the public comment period should serve as an "inquisition" in which city staff members are subjected to accusatory questioning from the public.

"To put staff on the spot is unfair sometimes," Doyon said.

He said residents could just as easily ask department heads for the information during the week, when officials are more likely to have the needed information at their fingertips.

Otherwise, Doyon said he could opt to allow department heads to leave the meeting when the comment period begins.

"Some of us will have to stay around," he added with a chuckle.

Winters, who runs the commission meetings, said he believes there are two sides to the issue.

"This is the public's house," Winters said, adding that he tries to have city staff
resolve issues, within reason, on the spot if that is possible.

"Sometimes the answer is easily available from staff," Jolley added.

"There needs to more discretion exercised on that," Doyon said, noting that staff members may not have an answer at the meetings and not have the necessary information on hand to find the answer.

Doyon said he would reserve the right to excuse staff members from the meeting if questioning gets out of hand.

Liebert said he did not object to the public comment period being moved toward the end of city meetings, but he criticized Doyon for trying to "circle the wagons" and shield city staff from questions.

"I think it can be done politely," Liebert said.

$2,640.58 Loss/Day

According to the Fiscal Services department, ECP is currently losing $2,640.58/day. This means that the taxpayers are subsidizing this entity to the tune of nearly $80,000/month; $1 million/year.

Mayor Winters was frustrated at last night's City Commission meeting when members of the public kept talking about this very serious problem. He mentioned twice that the city is going to get out of its relationship with SME so can't understand why folks won't cut the Commission some slack and give them time to work it out.

Other than for Commissioners Jolley and Burow who are no longer voting in favor of payments going to SME, the others don't seem to have much concern about this bleeding.

What am I not understanding here?

H/T: J.T.