Mustering the enthusiasm of a prisoner reluctantly accepting the final open seat in a gas chamber, the City Council, at the speed of frozen syrup, last evening kept a promise made to the community last summer:
Hesitantly, they green-lighted a mainly civilian-based financial advisory committee.
They would rather do it themselves. But they took the stance that a pledge must be honored.
Except for dedicated supporter Meghan Sahli-Wells, some Council members performed as if they were trying to throw a stalker off the scent, wishing somebody would change the subject.
Shoulders sagging, they agreed to expand the committee of putatively expert observers/advisors from seven to nine:
• Three residents.
• Three seasoned business persons.
• Two City Hall employees, one representing management, one from the ranks.
• One person from the School District, selected by the School Board, but not a School Board member.
As for a calendar when any of this will happen, plans are buried deep inside murky, distant clouds.
At the end, as the lifeless discussion was wandering into a sleepy-eyed ditch for the dozenth time, Mayor Andy Weissman insisted they pull the disparate strands together and reach a sort-of verdict.
The idea for a Fiancial Advisory Committee was hatched by the Council three months ago – to the evident later regret of most Council members – after deciding to place Measure Y, the half-cent sales tax proposal, on the Nov. 6 ballot.
In a burst of almost stillborn Let’s Talk It Over with the Community mood, the Council – mainly Ms. Sahli-Wells – thought it would be a capital idea to open the flaps of the tent and bring the whole town inside to help decide how to apportion the $8 million a year that is projected to flow into the General Fund if Measure Y passes.
The Council, of course, still wants Y to pass, and it is strongly favored.
But the gentlemen would not tear up if a siege of amnesia happened to accidentally sweep through the community at some vague date in the future, whenever they start soliciting committee applications.
