Aug 20, 2008
Troutdale Mayor's $800K Library Welfare Deal: No Support
After extensive discussions at last night's City Council executive session, the proposed $800,000 city incentive to rescue a proposed Multnomah County Library branch in downtown Troutdale is dead. I can't disclose details of the proposal or the executive session discussion. However, I can say that there was insufficient support on the City Council to pursue the matter any further.
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4 comments:
I can't disclose details of the proposal or the executive session discussion
Why not? It it tax payer's money that would be spent on a public facility - so what is there to hide from the tax payers?
If I were a city councilor ALL such meetings for that much money would be open to public scrutiny - after all, it's their money.
I agree with you- all meetings for that much money should be open to public scrutiny. However, our city ordinances prohibit me from disclosing confidential information or the details of city council executive sessions. Having said that, I have already disclosed on this blog the details of this proposal that I heard from non-city sources who weren't involved parties, which are ok for me to write about and talk about.
Here are the city ordinances prohibiting disclosure of executive session details:
2.08.210 Executive sessions.
If the council in executive session provides direction or consensus to staff on proposed terms and conditions for any type of negotiations (e.g., property acquisition or disposal, existing or likely litigation, employee negotiations), contact with the opposing party is by the designated representative handling the negotiations. A councilor does not contact or discuss the negotiations with the other party or the party's representative or communicate to anyone the substance of discussions held in executive session. (Ord. 608 § 2 (part), 1994)
There's no reason Troutdale should be paying extra money -- we've been paying in property tax bills for this library for the last two years. And the library is the most well-funded county agency -- their budget went up while public health services were cut. If they wanted to make a deal with the developer they have more than enough funding to do it -- especially since they picked that location over some of our objections
I agree with you 100%.
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