A reader sent me this yesterday. If you’re new to DeKalb, I should explain that John Rey was elected mayor of DeKalb last spring. To be fair, the city’s website search seems to have made a recovery today. It may even function better than it did before, though I say this cautiously, not having accessed…
Tag: Freedom of Information Act
The Manning Numbers
A request made by Brad Manning Ford came up in the last DeKalb council meeting agenda: The dealership says it can get $400,000 from Ford to put towards the [$2.3 million expansion] project, but that it still can’t foot the rest of the bill. The $110,000 that it is requesting from the city represents about…
Update on the Search for DeKalb’s Next City Manager
The city manager, not the mayor, is the chief executive officer in DeKalb’s council-manager form of government. Ideally we should be paying as much attention to selection of the city manager as we do the mayoral election — especially these days, when the city council declines to put expiration dates on their managers’ contracts and…
Latest Response in Review of EPI Report Redactions
During a special meeting held June 11, officials of the City of DeKalb met with their contracted financial consultant team known for short as EPI. EPI presented observations and recommendations in the areas of strategic revenue production and cost containment. The consultants also reviewed progress on strategic financial recommendations made in 2009, a time of…
Public Access Counselor Will Review Redactions
A bit over a week ago we looked at the City of DeKalb’s failure to provide a non-redacted version of its financial consultants’ latest report. Here’s what the Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor has to say. It comes down to giving up the goods or explaining why they don’t have to — exactly what professionals…
City of DeKalb Has Nothing Better to Do Than Play Games with FOIA
Last week I shared with you my observations of the June 11 meeting between the council and the city’s financial consultants. One thing I noted, but hadn’t taken action on, was this: Some of the recommendations in the report were apparently redacted. (See PDF pp. 108 and 110.) This is inappropriate for a public record…
Zombie TIF and Other Notes from Last Night
DeKalb’s city council met again with DeKalb’s financial consultants, EPI/Crowe, to consider the latter’s latest report and recommendations. The most important information to pass on to you is that the consultants told the council, at least twice AND in so many words, that the city will enter another financial crisis within five years if it…
Library Supporters Not Trying Very Hard to Raise Private Money
Jolly. Oregon didn’t pass its library referendum so the state gave Oregon’s library construction grant of $3.1 million to DeKalb Public Library. So we’re back to the $24 million building plan. I’d feel better about the state’s grant program if the whole process weren’t rife with secrets, but since I decided not to fight the…
Alderman Baker’s Phone Use During the Council Meeting Was Personal
I was ready to get all congratulatory on Alderman Dave Baker for allowing electronic public input during discussions at the April 8 council meeting, but it turns out the celebratory spirit was premature because the texting was of a personal nature. A Freedom of Information Act opinion says that electronic communications made during meetings are…
Police Station Contractors
Here’s the response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed late last month for the list of contractors/subcontractors who are building our new police station.