Category Archives: council meeting

council meeting, weather

Tawdry Tuesday

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The great debate is on. Time for one and all to pick the weather predictor they are going to put their faith in and hang on tight. I have heard predictions for snowfall ranging from 0″ to 25″ out here on the plains for the winter storm blowing in. Similarly the predictors are split from 20 mph winds all the way up to 80 mph winds. So pick your poison and see which one you get. It might make the mosey down to the radio station in the morning a brisk affair. It might also cancel the meeting I have scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. It all depends! {*grin*}

Tonight the city council meeting was a juggernaut of straight line motion. You can tell that half of us are lame ducks – there is no sense of “we must fight unto death over this trivial item” left in anyone. It is more lets get done as much as we can before those poor newbie suckers get here and get swamped under all that is coming up. We passed the budget for next year and other sundry things, raised the city manager’s signature authority, modified the zoning code, held five public hearings, did the appropriation ordinance for next year, and generally got on with business. All of us that are term limited out of office have one more official meeting (on the 10th) and then we are done. Of course we also have some meetings that are not “official” even later, right up until the 24th when the new council will be seated. I think we are all looking forward to that day.

It will be interesting to see how the meeting on the 10th will go. One of the longstanding traditions here is that outgoing members, especially those term limited out, are given a few minutes to talk about anything they choose. So I warned the two other term limited council members to be ready to speak if they had any remarks to offer. For my part, I’m still not sure what I’m going to say. I have been blessed with a consistent council with the same members (except for one who was transfered) for most of my three terms. That kind of stability has let us get some great stuff done and meant that we have come to understand one another in a way that lets us get things done without undue friction. It’ll be interesting to see haw the new council comes to terms and continues on (or not).

Well, time to head for bed so I can journey through the unknown weather in the morning to the radio station. My own personal bet is on rain until tomorrow night, but don’t tell anyone you heard it here.

council meeting, jury duty, music of the moment

A Popourri Of Oddness

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Yippeeeeee – no jury duty for me today. When I called last night, the trial was indeed called off. So I missed out on the coffee and donuts, but my health thanks me for that.

Tonight was a preliminary look at the budget for the city. In one of those strange oddities that I have never understood, the budget for next year will be set and the public hearing held and the budget adopted just before the new mayor and council are seated. So the newbies get an already done budget when they are seated. Of course, they could chose to start over, but I cannot remember ever hearing of a newly seated council wanting to open that can of worms. Not to mention that by statute, the budget has to have been set, public hearings held, and the budget adopted all within a two week period. Thus we have work sessions like this to kick the tires and get the glitches fixed before the clock starts ticking with the official “presentation” of the budget. Are you bored enough yet?

(As I type this, my last.fm station is playing Cream’s White Room. Given the stellar music Cream produced in the short time they hung together, I’ve always wondered what heights they would have scaled if they could have stood each other for just a bit longer. Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, and Jack Bruce were the epitome of heavy music of the period. And perhaps the greatest guitarist, drummer, and bassist of the time all in one band. One relatively unknown pleasure I still love from college was Baker-Gurvitz Army, Ginger Baker’s follow on group. And of course you already know I love Clapton.)

So here is a set for your enjoyment! First up Cream and “White Room”:

Followed by a little up tempo “People” by Baker-Gurvitz Army from my graduate school days:

And then for the penultimate experience of the music of the time – Cream with “Sunshine of Your Love” (check out the facial expressions on Ginger during his drum moments and contrast that with the early heroin addition glaze of Clapton):

My job here is done. Time to get ready for the radio show in the morning.