Police Commander J. C. Becker, back from the War,brings gifts from the East.
(Please excuse this terrible picture, snapped too late. It will teach me to change my batteries.) The picture that was missed was J.C. handing over a couple of Afghanistani paper bills (money) to City Financial Officer and Clerk Laura Koenig. The American flag was sent by Becker from Afghanistan, where it had flown over his post.

• J. C. Becker returns from his military tour in the Middle East, bearing gifts. (We will try to do a transcription on his presentation;sorry for the lousy picture.)
• Bruce Champeaux was the "no" swing vote on Ord. #811, the job description for the dual administrator-city planner job, which failed to pass. I was impressed with his good judgment (better late than never). But Bruce later expressed confusion when he realized his vote eliminated Rowe's early-meeting revision of the action agenda item to confirm and appoint Rick Cisar as the new city administrator, at least for last night's meeting. This will come up again, of course. But in any event, as Dusty Boucher correctly pointed out, in the event that Prop. #1 (change in form of government) passes* the city will need to have a city manager-type ready to go until such time as a professional manager can be hired. Rowe's hope is to place Cisar into that position BEFORE the vote in order to make it "easy" for the council to simply continue using him, should Prop. #1 pass.
• In a public workshop before the council meeting, Cliff Morris (who wishes to develop 80 acres on Trout Farm Road one mile north of the city limits) threw a sales pitch at the council in his continuing attempt to find a way to improve that fairly remotely-located land: "If you guys would grant me sewers out there, you'd have $2.25 million for improvements on 1st Street. Plus you'd receive approximately $500,000 a year in, uh, in revenues based on the existing fees that you charge monthly. So, plus you'd receive $1 million, or better, in capital improvements...So it seems to me like the city sewers could be taken care of...."
• "Doctors" Porter and Raney had a dust-up (this is a .wav audio file; opens in MS Media Player or other audio software) regarding Porter's continuing claims that children are at a great global (i.e., widespread) risk from pneumochoccal and meningitis. "Dr." Porter says that these diseases are an increasing threat to the health of our children. Dr. Raney's assertions are that these are diseases with an already-identified baseline and not an epidemic, which is what Porter seems to be inferring.
• Sky Valley Estates Premliminary Plat approved
• Ord. 809 approved (new recycling service, reduces user rates $3.50/month)
• Proclamation to support the Troops passed unanimously, as did the Resolution for Tobacco-free parks.
• $159,000 grant for 5th Street signal was not "obligated", but will probably come up at the May 7th meeting.
• The budget amendment will require a workshop, but the council voted to confirm J. C. Becker's salary so he could begin getting paid again.
• The request for approval to apply for three PWTF (Public Works Trust Fund) grants passed, with lone dissenters Rob Criswell and Dusty Boucher.
• There was a pleasing surprise Proclamation making the Week of August 27th the "Friends of the Sultan Library Week" to recognize all the great things they do. They have raised over $28,000 for expenses not covered by tax dollars, and will be giving away two $1,000 scholarships.
• During public comments, John Dick once again took the council to task for not enforcing current codes, and their lackadaisical attitude in activating the Technical Review Committee which could help the city handle such issues as his recent complaint of a neighbor operating a business in a residential neighborhood He leveled harassment charges at Craig Bruner that the building official took six months to act on his (Dick's) complaint, yet took only seven days to inspect a two-year-old in-house improvement that had been previously apprvoved by the building inspector.

We plan on doing word-for-word transcriptions on some of this, but definitely on the exchange regarding Cisar as city administrator.