Letters to the Editor 7-14-16

What’s public about late hearings?
Editor: The Cloverdale City Council agenda for the June 28 meeting was packed with 20 items, three of which fell under the heading of public hearings. Two of those public hearing items are particularly important to the citizens of Cloverdale, as they both make a grab for our wallets.
Agenda Item 15 was a public hearing on city staff’s plans to update (read increase) the schedule of fees the city charges residents and businesses for an extensive list of services. Agenda Item 16 was a public hearing on city staff’s plans to raise the Lighting and Landscape assessments for three of the city’s seven lighting and landscape assessment districts.
I attended the meeting hoping to gain some clarity on these and other items, and perhaps weigh in with my opinion. However, the meeting started at 6:30 p.m. and by 8:30 p.m. we had progressed only to Agenda Item 3. It was clear it would be well past 10 p.m. before items 15 and 16 came up for discussion. Not being a night owl, I left. I later learned the meeting did not end until midnight.
Why were these public hearing items buried so far into the agenda? Why was the agenda so full to begin with? The agenda package itself was a stunning 305 pages. It is hard enough to engage public participation in governmental affairs. This sort of thing makes it look like none is wanted.
Now that the City Council has agreed to nearly double their monetary pay (which appears to be the highest council stipend, based on 2015 figures, among Sonoma County’s seven incorporated cities, except Santa Rosa), maybe they can agree to meet nearly twice as often to prevent overcrowded agendas, thus giving the public a real opportunity to weigh in.
Lisa Brew-Miller
Cloverdale
Prep time for school
Editor: Yikes. Summer break is half over and school starts in four weeks. Parents and students will soon start planning for next year’s adventure and each of us can assist with those preparations. For the past six years, the United Church of Cloverdale has organized the “Stock a Student Classroom” drive with other churches, community and service groups, businesses and many individuals to collect school supplies.
The goal is to support our teachers and enhance the learning environment for our students. Principals of Washington and Jefferson have provided us with teachers’ wish lists, and collected supplies will be sorted by volunteers and given to the schools in mid-August.
This program was a huge success last year with over $5,000 in supplies and cash given for our students, thanks to each of you. Although state funding to the schools has increased, the help we provide with these school supplies makes a big impact on both the teachers and students. The community drive for school supplies starts this week and runs through the first day of school, August 17. We ask each of you join in the fun by purchasing supplies and dropping them in the brightly labeled boxes at various businesses, organizations and churches around town.
If it has been years since you’ve needed to purchase school supplies, here are some teacher suggestions:
One-to-two-inch white binders with inside pockets and clear pocket covers, binder dividers and paper, construction paper, tracing paper, sketch books, composition books (college or regular rule), black and colored Expo brand dry erase markers (thin and thick tip), dry marker erasers, Dixon-Ticonderoga #2 pencils, mechanical pencils and extra lead, ball point pens, 24 count Crayola crayons, eight-packs of Crayola colored markers, both fat and thin; Crayola colored pencils, Sharpie permanent fine tip black markers, big pink erasers, pencil sharpeners (hand held and x-acto electric), colored folders with pockets and prongs, plastic sheet protectors, 70-page spiral notebooks and clear tape.
Teachers have told us that it is important to have quality brands as those products provide long lasting performance.
If you prefer to make a monetary donation, a check can be made to UCC noted “Stock a Student Classroom.” It can be sent to United Church, 439 No. Cloverdale Blvd. Please join us in helping the schools help our students reach success.
While it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a community to support the schools. Please call 894-4493 if your group would like to be involved.
Linda Clapp, Chair, Stock a Student Classroom, 2016, United Church of Cloverdale
Connecting the dots for change
Editor: Some recent articles and letters in the Cloverdale Reveille are an indication of how frustrated and fed up Cloverdale citizens are becoming. Residents with far different agendas and concerns are realizing that change is needed in Cloverdale’s leadership.
Our local service clubs and sports leagues are stretched thin by carrying a far too heavy load having to provide programs and events that are typically provided, or at least partially sponsored, by city government in other communities. The city needs to get itself out of its economic doldrums so it can adequately provide such services and programs. But, the burden of restoring the city to financial health should not be completely at the expense of taxpayers and property owners.
Our leaders need to attract retail and commercial businesses by being creative with incentives. Instead they are raising fees for city services and permitting. Just ask local businesses – Renner Petroleum, Trading Post, Bear Republic and Cloverdale Natural Foods – about the nightmare of trying to open a business in this town. Inexcusably sad stories for a city that is nearly broke and desperately needs tax revenue. Our new Community Development Director has a daunting task ahead because we lack a city council that has a unified vision and a willingness to do the hard work it will take to bring prosperity to Cloverdale.
There is no reason to vote for an incumbent seeking re-election for Cloverdale City Council this November. The same ol’ same ol’ is going to keep Cloverdale from moving forward – which is something a few in this town, including some of our leaders, have been afraid of for far too long.
Vote for change this fall.
Brandon Axell
Cloverdale
Beautiful work
Editor: Thank you, knitters, for doing the “tree wraps.” What a great idea. Hope you continue the beautiful work.
D. Swoffer
Cloverdale