Thread by @socialistdogmom

on to the next thing...
solidarity with the folks at the vigil outside the police station tonight! ✊

diving right in with some followup from items from the last meeting. no wes tonight — i just saw him two nights ago at the first half of that planning meeting. out of town again?

was that last budget meeting seriously only a week ago? it seems like years.

the current rate for kids in this program is $5/hr — it was originally intended as “prevocational” for kids too young to work. most kids in the program are 15-16.
other concerns: if they make less than $599, they don’t have to do 1099s for ‘em

the program coordinator is here & says their applications exceed their capacity by about 25% — there’s definitely a need to expand the program.
kathy seems disturbed the program isn’t restricted to low income applicants; coordinator says they mainly serve at-risk youth.

kathy’s really struggling with the idea of expanding a program that doesn’t have a wait list... program coordinator is patiently explaining that they had to turn away 30% of applicants last year, but they don’t have a “wait list.” they fill the slots they have.

kathy is ok with raising the stipend, but is digging her heels in on expanding the program. she wants “to see how the money is shaking out.” heather agrees — wants to see what would be compromised if they allocated the $46k to expanding the program to accommodate demand.

hotel occupancy rate is about 73% (is that a year round average or at peak times?) they’re not concerned about raising the lodging tax adversely affecting occupancy rates. asst city manager says it actually went up a bit last time they bumped the rate up.

the planning commissions recommendation to explore improving city meeting space is NOT included in this budget. $50k sounds like a big price tag to start to think about talking about maybe doing a project??

we have.... $97mil in unfunded projects? that’s a big number to slip into an aside. i wonder how much of that is the elephant in the room of the proposed new elementary school/expansion of three existing schools?

huh, the police needed $340k last year & again this year to replace their portable radios. i guess you need crystal clear signal when you tune into the wrong channel during a nazi street brawl. gotta hear that silence in hifi.

fire chief is telling us about the $3.7mil needed to update the fire station on the bypass. apparently the fire station has no fire suppression system 🔥😂
(among other issues - it’s old and small)

it happened again

https://twitter.com/socialistdogmom/status/974058713051955201?s=21

“there was some disagreement, if you will, among some very well intentioned ruined folks about the means and methods of preserving the trees.”
this tree shit always feels SO HIGH STAKES!!!!!!!!!
(i wish they cared this much about human lives)

we
are
still
talking
about
trees
🌳

oh hell yeah, they’re gonna put bathrooms at my favorite park. not until 2020, sounds like.

sometimes the way kathy talks makes me simultaneously very angry and incredibly sleepy. it doesn’t even matter what she’s saying. it’s the relentless petulance. lecturing and whining at the same time. it’s art.

you, too, could be bored to death!

public comment & we talkin’ ‘bout trees again! 🌳
the trees are under a lot of stress. it’s gonna be a generation long problem.