Wednesday, March 18, 2020

75-Minute Mesa City Council Meeting Mon 16 March 2020

A state of emergency but it's far different than events after September 11 2001, as Hizzoner John Giles stated at the start after his own invocation due to a problem with speakers downstairs in the Lower Chamber. 
2 Council members are absent (one, Kevin Thompson, on-the-phone); David Luna not present again.
If you haven't been reading a number of posts on this blog prior to Monday's meeting, separate from other important items on the agenda, the strategies of city officials to circle-the-wagons in response to questions over the handling of revenues and accounting standards are clearly in-view.
The state of emergency is the city finances in changing market conditions and questions over long-standing city policies for accounting practices, revenue sources and how funds are raised and used. There are internal audits prepared as well as required independent reviews for oversight. 
All too often city officials have been "eating their own dog food" expecting the public to swallow it without a smell test . 
The issue of Affordable Utilities (and whether citizens have the authority to approve any increases in fees/use charges) championed by District 2 Council member Jeremy Whittaker to gather signatures on a petition ballot for the General Election - has been hijacked by actions of the Mesa City Council taken on Monday.

Controversial utility measure before Mesa Council | News ...

www.eastvalleytribune.com › news › controversial-utility-measure-befor...

4 days ago - Mayor John Giles and Councilman Jeremy Whittaker, a potential ... City Charter initiative, dubbed Yes on Affordable Utilities, which Giles has ...

Mesa's use of utility money for general spending faces scrutiny

www.azcentral.com › story › news › local › mesa › 2020/02/10 › mes...

Feb 10, 2020 - City Councilman Jeremy Whittaker is leading a citizen initiative to change ... His “Vote Yes on Affordable Utilities" initiative would amend the city ... 
"Proud to announce our website is complete and we have started a new initiative to modify the City of Mesa charter. It’s called “Yes on Affordable Utilities”. 
This will push to preserve our utilities by making sure adequate investments are made into their financial sustainability. 
More details can be found on the website,https://voteyesonaffordableutilities.com
utility rates in Mesa. 
“Yes on Affordable Utilities” is a community-driven effort to reduce your City of Mesa utility rates, this includes your water, wastewater, sewer, trash, and electric. 
Today for every $100 you spend on these Mesa utilities $32 is skimmed off the top to balance the budget and pay for unrelated expenses like a subsidized private airport, golf course, professional sports complexes, and ASU campuses. This has led to uncontrollable water costs and utility rates in Mesa. 
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LINK to Council, Committee & Board Research Center tap here 
Here's all the study sessions and regular meetings so far for the month of March 2020
City Council3/16/2020Export to iCalendar5:45 PMCouncil Chambers - Upper LevelMeeting detailsAgenda AgendaNot availableNot available
City Council Study Session3/12/2020Export to iCalendar7:30 AMCouncil Chambers - Lower LevelMeeting detailsAgenda AgendaNot availableVideo Video
City Council Study Session3/5/2020Export to iCalendar7:30 AMCouncil Chambers - Lower LevelMeeting detailsAgenda AgendaNot availableVideo Video
City Council3/2/2020Export to iCalendar5:45 PMCouncil Chambers - Upper LevelMeeting detailsAgenda AgendaNot availableVideo Video
City Council Study Session3/2/2020Export to iCalendar5:15 PMCouncil Chambers - Lower LevelMeeting detailsAgenda AgendaNot availableVideo Video
HERE'S A RUNDOWN OF EVENTS ON THE OFFICIAL CALENDAR THROUGH JUNE 2020 FOR NEXT YEAR'S CITY BUDGET


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City Council Meeting - 3/16/2020

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3
City Council approves ordinance formalizing affordable utility programs and changes to use of utility revenues
March 17, 2020 at 9:59 am 

The requirements set in the new ordinance take effect July 1, 2020 to coincide with the beginning of the 2020/2021 fiscal year.
Public Information and Communications
Contact: Steve Wright
Tel. 480-644-2069
steven.wright@mesaaz.gov


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Tuesday, March 17, 2020

How This Man Changed His DNA

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This Will Change Everything.. They Can't Explain It! (2020)

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Inbound Comet Just Got BIGGER - Coma Expands To TWICE The Size of JUPITE...


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•Mar 17, 2020

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A SECRETIVE HYPERSONIC MISSILE TEST IS FIRED BY US AND AUSTRALIA #WARTHO...


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The United States and Australia conducted a joint missile test earlier this month of a hypersonic missile capable of traveling faster than six thousand miles an hour. The test of the HiFiRE vehicle paves the way for a new generation of hypersonic weapons that can strike enemies with a minimum of reaction time.
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Coronavirus Capitalism — and How to Beat It


(Think of the 1930's)
and The New Deal
28,935 views
•Premiered Mar 16, 2020 
154K subscribers
"Governments around the world are busily exploiting the coronavirus crisis to push for no-strings-attached corporate bailouts and regulatory rollbacks. “I've spent two decades studying the transformations that take place under the cover of disaster,” writes Naomi Klein. “I’ve learned that one thing we can count on is this: During moments of cataclysmic change, the previously unthinkable suddenly becomes reality.” In recent decades, that change has mainly been for the worst — but this has not always been the case. And it need not continue to be in the future. This video is about the ways the still-unfolding Covid-19 crisis is already remaking our sense of the possible. The Trump administration and other governments around the world are busily exploiting the crisis to push for no-strings-attached corporate bailouts and regulatory rollbacks. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is moving to repeal financial regulations that were introduced after the last major financial meltdown, as part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act. China, for its part, is indicating that it will relax environmental standards to stimulate its economy, which would wipe out the one major benefit the crisis has produced so far: a marked drop in that country’s lethal air pollution. But this is not the whole story. In the United States, we have also seen organizing at the city and state levels win important victories to suspend evictions during the pandemic. Ireland has announced six weeks of emergency unemployment payments for all workers who suddenly find themselves out of work, including self-employed workers. And despite U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden’s claims during the recent debate that the pandemic has nothing to do with Medicare for All, many Americans are suddenly realizing that the absence of a functioning safety net exacerbates vulnerabilities to the virus on many fronts.
This crisis — like earlier ones — could well be the catalyst to shower aid on the wealthiest interests in society, including those most responsible for our current vulnerabilities, while offering next to nothing to the most workers, wiping out small family savings and shuttering small businesses. But as this video shows, many are already pushing back — and that story hasn’t been written yet." Subscribe to our channel: https://interc.pt/subscribe
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The Gang of Six on The Mesa City Council | The Arizona Open Meeting Law

Arizona's Open Meeting Law. It is the public policy of this state that meetings of public bodies be conducted openly and that notices and agendas be provided for such meetings which contain such information as is reasonably necessary to inform the public of the matters to be discussed or decided.
Accordingly, Arizona’s Open Meeting Law must be construed in favor of open and public meetings.
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If any reader of this blog has taken the time to watch-and-listen to any public meetings of the Mesa City Council, there appears to be coordination of some kind 'behind-the-scenes' by City Manager Chris Brady with certain elected individuals, including the mayor and five out of the six council members who usually vote as a bloc.
That has yet to be confirmed by an objective independent analysis of any kind, but the repeated coincidence of only one councilmember voting different from the other six might leave any reasonable person with a reaction that questions if there has been any guidance or suggestions or any contact with the city manager or city attorney on agenda items that are to be heard, discussed or approved.
The same goes for any member of any board or committee. Better to disclose than not

Council Sub-Committees link here


Audit, Finance & Enterprise
Councilmember Jen Duff, Chairperson Vice Mayor Mark Freeman Councilmember David Luna

Chris Brady, Ex Officio
Staff Liaison: Michael Kennington
Attorney: Jim Smith
Community & Cultural Development
Councilmember Francisco Heredia, Chairperson 
Councilmember David Luna Councilmember Jen Duff
Staff Liaison: Natalie Lewis
Attorney: Alfred Smith
Economic Development
Councilmember Jeremy Whittaker, Chairperson
Councilmember Francisco Heredia
Councilmember Kevin Thompson


Staff Liaison: Bill Jabjiniak
Attorney: Jim Smith
Public Safety
Councilmember David Luna, Chairperson
Vice Mayor Mark Freeman
Councilmember Kevin Thompson

Staff Liaison: John Pombier
Attorney: Alfred Smith
Sustainability & Transportation
Councilmember Kevin Thompson, Chairperson
Councilmember Francisco Heredia
Councilmember Jeremy Whitaker

Staff Liaison: Kari Kent
Attorney: Jim Smith
City Benefits Advisory Committee
Vice Mayor Mark Freeman Councilmember Kevin Thompson
__________________________________________________________
Open Meetings – STATUTES

Cities and towns with a population of more than 2,500 persons must post approved city and town council minutes on its website within two working days following approval.
A.R.S. § 38-431.01(E)(2).   
Minutes of executive sessions must be kept confidential except from certain individuals.  A.R.S. § 38-431.03(B). 
How long meeting minutes are maintained is determined by the public body’s record retention and destruction schedule authorized by Arizona State Library and Archives.     

Persons in attendance may record any portion of a public meeting, as long as the recording does not actively interfere with the meeting.
Acceptable recording equipment includes tape recorders, cameras, or other means of reproduction. A.R.S. § 38-431.01(F).  ________________________________________________________________________________
Where to turn for help 
Self-help resources available:
The Arizona Ombudsman – Citizens’ Aide handbook – The Arizona Open Meeting Law (available on line at www.azoca.gov under open meetings/publication)
The Arizona Ombudsman’s website, www.azoca.gov Arizona Agency Handbook, Chapter 7, www.azag.gov
Quick Links Attorney General Opinions – www.azag.gov

> File a complaint: Arizona Ombudsman-Citizen’s Aide (602) 277-7292 
> File a complaint/Enforcement authority
Attorney General’s Open Meeting Law Enforcement Team (602) 542-5025
County Attorney’s Office
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AG: Remote meetings due to coronavirus OK under open-meeting law
By Jim Small -  
The Arizona Mirror is an independent, nonprofit news organization that is focused on connecting public policy with the people it affects and bringing a fresh perspective to coverage of the state’s biggest issues.
"In an informal opinion, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich said the state’s open meeting law allows for public bodies – like city councils and school boards – to conduct public meetings remotely through technological means as they navigate public health amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Bronovich wrote that “providing as much public notice in advance is key,” and he advised public bodies to provide more than the 24 hours required by state law if possible. 
In general, Arizona law requires all meetings of governmental entities to be open to the public and for agendas to be published at least 24 hours before the meeting is scheduled to start. The law gives all Arizonans the right to attend and listen to the public body’s deliberations and proceedings.

AG Informal Opinion Open Meetings COVID19
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AG Informal Opinion Open Meetings COVID19     





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Contributed by: Jim  Small, Arizona Mirror


























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Brnovich also advised governmental entities that choose to meet remotely to implement best practices to “minimize any difficulties arising from remote conferencing.” For example, he said that all speakers could be asked to identify themselves each time they speak and post any relevant information – such as presentations being made or documents being considered – online for the public to view.



He further cautioned that, while the open meeting laws allow for public bodies to meet via technological means, they “must conduct such meetings in a way that satisfies the… notice and access requirements, which are designed to further the (open meeting law’s) underlying purpose.”



“Transparency is the core of legality. Throughout any circumstance, the government must remain accountable to the people,” Brnovich wrote.



Gov. Doug Ducey on March 11 declared a state of emergency as the state combats the spread of the coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 illness. On March 12, the Legislature approved $55 million in emergency funding and limited public access to the State Capitol and legislative chambers.



On Friday, President Donald Trump declared a national state of emergency.



There are nearly 1,700 verified COVID-19 cases in the United States, including nine in Arizona. Nationally, the coronavirus is responsible for 41 deaths; no one in Arizona has died from COVID-19.














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