Hope to be Posting Again ...

I have been pretty slow to post this month. I have a family member in a pretty tough medical situation, and been in the middle of a major project at work. However, the project is (almost) finished and the medical situation is almost stabilized. Hopefully, I will be able to add something to the community discussions going on around here ...

I can't believe I was able to do it ...

Lately, I have been reading the 43 folders blog as a means of personal organization. The blogger, a guy named Merlin Mann, just gave a talk at Google about something called Inbox Zero.

It took me a few hours of processing on a weekend, but my email inbox now has ZERO messages in it. This is the first time I have had a completely empty inbox since 1994.

What a cathartic experience. I recommend it heartily.

Neighborhood Council 7 Meeting Agenda

AGENDA
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL
DISTRICT 7
Monday, August, 2007
Civic Center, Gibson Room
6:30 p.m.



Please note: This agenda format allows citizens to speak on each issue prior to Council discussion. We encourage your participation. In the interest that all parties can be heard, please limit your comments.



CALL TO ORDER


OLD BUSINESS
Approval of July minutes
Pedestrian safety measures on 9th Street & 4th Avenue North
Marty Basta, Jim Rearden, Jerry McKinley of Public Works Department
Problem properties
Weed and Seed application status
Single poling place letter response
Whittier Principal’s letter

NEW BUSINESS
Neighborhood Concerns


REPORTS
City Commission
Police Advisory Board
Downtown Task Force


ADJOURN

Next Meeting – September 10, 2007, Gibson Room, Civic Center

Neighborhood Council 7 Meeting Date CHANGE

Neighborhood Council 7 will be meeting this coming Monday, August 6. This is a change, due to the scheduled availability of City Staff that will be discussing safety issues on 9th Street.

Agenda to follow ...

NC7 Agenda

REVISED AGENDA
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL
DISTRICT 7
Monday, July 9, 2007
Heisey Center, 313 7th Street North
6:30 p.m.

Please note: This agenda format allows citizens to speak on each issue prior to Council discussion. We encourage your participation. In the interest that all parties can be heard, please limit your comments.

1. NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH
   
   
2. CALL TO ORDER
   
   
3. OLD BUSINESS
   
   
   
   1. Approval of June minutes
      
   2. Problem properties
      
      
      
      1. 824 6th Avenue North
         
      2. 512/516 6th Street North
         
      3. 916 3rd Avenue North
         
      
      
   3. Graffiti on 3rd Avenue North between 9th and 10th Street
      
   4. 9th Street Traffic – results of city study
      
   5. Mitchell Pool
      
   6. Weed and Seed Application Status
      
   7. Riverfest booth
      
   8. Single Polling location letter
      
   
   
   
4. NEW BUSINESS
   
   
   
   1. Downtown Task Force – Brett Doney from GFDA
      
   2. Problem properties
      
      
      
      1. 112 12st North – per email from Mike Taylor
         
      2. 601 5th Avenue North —Dona Walker
         
      
      
   3. 2nd Avenue South Sidewalks – Aaron Weissman
      
   4. Neighborhood Concerns
      
   
   
   
5. REPORTS
   
   
   
   1. City Commission
      
   2. Police Advisory Board
      
   
   
   
6. ADJOURN
   

Next Meeting – August 13, 2007, Gibson Room, Civic Center

You Get What You Pay For

Recently, there have been a lot of complaints about how our city commission does little other than rubber stamp the decisions of city staff. I wonder why we are all so surprised. I also wonder why anyone would run for such a position.

We pay our city commission nothing. We pay our mayor about $9k a year. Therefore, we have created a situation where all we can hope to get in these jobs are part-time volunteers.

I believe that our current mayor and commissioners are a group of decent, hardworking and committed volunteers. However, that is all they are. They are part time amateurs who depend on full time professional city staffers. In addition to "overseeing" a $90 Million organization (that pays them bubkis), they also have to find ways to put food on their plates and a roof over their heads. Is there any wonder why they are ineffective?

We, the people of Great Falls, have determined that we want to be governed by staff and with loose oversight by our elected public servants. When you have a deadline at work, do you put it aside to handle something going on at an organization for which you volunteer? Is it reasonable to expect more out of our commission?

Yes, they did run for those jobs. Yes, they should be held accountable for their decisions. However, we all need to realize that we are lying in a bed of our own making.

Animal Welfare and City Oversight

I have spent a great deal of time reading through (at least some) of the information that has been posted on various websites on this issue. Unfortunately, this looks like a situation where unprofessionalism and lack of communication have exploded into an unnecessary crisis.

First and foremost, we, the citizens, owe Geeguy a debt of at least gratitude for the time he spends researching issues that affect our body politic. A lawyer's time is a very expensive commodity, and I do not see where Geeguy is spending that time in any way that personally benefits him (other than as a citizen of our community). Geeguy, thank you very much for the thorough and balanced information and opinions you have presented. Unfortunately, you will see nothing so thorough in these pages.

However, I would also like to put in my 2¢. What I am going to say has less to do with the specifics of animal control issues in our town and more to do with a general philosophy of how to run this particular railroad.

In this case, we have a contract set to expire. This is a great time to reevaluate how things are to be done and for a governmental agency to define its requirements. It is also a great time to continue the evaluation of an incumbent contractor.

It is not, however, the best time to first discuss problems that the incumbent contractor may have had with the operation of their existing contract. Like many that have posted on this subject, the first I heard that there was a problem was when it came up on the front page of the paper. Now, I hear that there is a dysfunctional board and many complaints about the Humane Society's operation of the facility.

The time to bring these issues up is DURING contract performance; most specifically during regular contract progress meetings. If performance was bad, why have there been no written letters, cure notices, meeting minute notes, etc.? Why are we just hearing about this now?

Worse, the problems we have heard about seem minute, unsubstantiated and subjective. Even more shocking, the story published today in the paper (but not online) said that city officials have not investigated even problems.

So, because of unsubstantiated allegations that have never been documented, we are being asked to pony up hundreds of thousands of dollars in increased annual expenses. I can't wait for the justification for the coming bond issue.

Now, I haven't looked at the RFP the city put out this Spring. However, for a contract of this size (five years at $200k - $500k/year), it would be very reasonable to expect a contract with a rigidly defined Statement of Work / Performance Work Statement setting specific requirements and performance objectives. These specific requirements and performance objectives should be constructed in ways to make them measurable. Then, the resulting metrics should be analyzed during regular contract performance review meetings. To be really innovative, contract payments could be tied to those metrics (incentives for performance?? Shocking!)

Quite frankly, I have read reports in blog comments that I certainly hope are not true. However, we should all hold our city leaders accountable if (when) they present us the bill for their lack of management.

Back in town

Wow; leave for ten days and it looks like a whole year worth of city news happens. I think there are more than 100 blog posts on ECB and Firefly that look extremely relevant. That, and trying to find my desk for all the stack of papers.

The wife and I took our first vacation of more than a few days in about a decade. We drove to Washington and visited some incredible wineries along I-5 South of Portland. We stayed in campgrounds (usually KOA) along the way; it was a great amount of fun.

Anyway, it looks like tonight's city commission meeting will be fairly interesting. More later ...

Sharing

Heard from the son yesterday;

"Can I have beef jerky in my lunch today?" asked my six year old boy.

"But, you don't like beef jerky. Why?" said my wife.

"I know. But my friend likes beef jerky, and that way I get his fruit roll-up!" replied the little stinker.

Well, at least he's honest.

Want People to Pay Attention?

Quote Shakespeare.

A Fair and Equitable Process

Something very interesting is going on; a presently outsourced function (operation and management of the animal shelter and animal control functions) is being re-evaluated by the city for operation by either the present, private (but non-profit) contractor or a city agency.

I would categorize this as an attempted in-sourcing of a presently out-sourced function. At least in federal procurement, there are rules governing how that is supposed to happen. Those rules are written in an Office of Management and Budget circular called A-76.

Now, the city has no obligation to follow federal rules of procurement. However, these rules are time-tested and have been proven to be both fair and equitable. I challenge the city to apply similar rules to their procurement process for animal control functions. To do so would remove any doubt about the fairness and honesty of the city's final decision.

Procurement

I guess I am not the only person questioning why the city is apparently ram-roading a $330 thousand increase in expenditures in order to give the GFPD responsibility over animal control functions. Last night, a citizen was thrown out of the city commission meeting and arrested over her comments on just this issue.

There is a healthy discussion going on over at Geeguy's place over the three minute rule. My 2¢ about that is as long as it is equitably and fairly enforced it is probably OK. However, that is not the subject of this post. I would rather use this space here to talk a little bit about the problem that this unfortunate woman raised.

I brought this up yesterday. I would like to see it articulated exactly where the Humane Society has failed to perform their contract. If they have, this point is moot and they should probably be fired from this job. However, if they have performed, why is the city even considering such an expensive replacement?

Worse, this procurement process seems to be flawed. All I know about this is what I read in the paper. However, what I have read does not reasonably equate with what I know of how the government is supposed to procure goods and services.

Comments to City Commission, 6/19/2007

Madame Mayor and Honorable Commissioners;

My name is Aaron Weissman, and I am the chairman of Neighborhood Council 7.

At our last neighborhood council meeting, concerned neighbors brought to our attention no less than five problem properties plagued by petty crime, gang graffiti and drugs. In addition, we have been made aware of continued vehicle break-ins during the night.

I would like to also take this opportunity to encourage my neighbors and all city residents to take common sense actions to avoid vehicle break-ins. Do not leave anything of value in your vehicle, and especially not in visible areas. Lock your vehicle. If at all possible, park it inside or in a lighted area.

All of these problems seem to be centered on the lower North side, mostly along the 9th Street corridor. Our council feels that the only way to positively affect these problems is for the city to spend increased attention on the area.

Unfortunately, the same neighbors that came to us about their neighborhoods also reported slow responses to their complaints from the police department.

We all know that the summer brings out the worst in some people. As the season progresses, we need to increase our attention on the problems to keep them from getting out of control.

In addition, our council would like to thank the city for beginning a study of traffic on 9th Street. We continue to feel that the speed of traffic along this street is inappropriate for the neighborhood. Please keep us in the loop as to the results of your study and for your ideas to control that traffic.

Is it worth $330k to fire the Humane Society?

Color me puzzled. In last Sunday's Trib, I read this article. Apparently, the city is re-competing its requirements for animal control and operation of the animal shelter.

The city received two bids, one from the Humane Society for $186 thousand, and one from the Police Department for $516 thousand. The Humane Society is the incumbent contractor.

What confounds me is that with a $330 thousand difference in bids received, the city is not automatically awarding the contract to the incumbent contractor who is also the low bid. Instead, the city has given a copy of the Humane Society's bid to the Police Department (by the by, the other bidder for that contract) for their critique. Is this really how things are (or should be) done? Has the Police Department's bid been given to the Humane Society for their critique?

Now, I freely admit that I haven't paid a great deal of attention to how the Humane Society is doing in their operation of these functions in recent years. I adopted my dog from the shelter several years ago, and found it to be a rather depressing and underfunded place -- but run by caring and dedicated people. In any case, many citizens in Great Falls are attempting to build a new shelter, funded through private donations. In any case, the status of the old, city-owned building is not something that should be blamed on the Humane Society.

If the city awards this contract to the GFPD for $330 thousand more than the next lowest bid, then they will certainly have to explain why it is worth a third of a million dollars to give this additional work to the police department.

NC7 Letter to County Commission on Polling Place Consolidation

Neighborhood Council 7
PO Box 5021 * Great Falls, MT 59403
Representing the Lower North and South Sides of Historic Great Falls
June 11, 2007

Cascade County Board of Commissioners
The Honorable Joe Briggs
The Honorable Lance Olson
The Honorable Peggy Beltrone
525 2nd Avenue North, Room 111
Great Falls, MT 59401

Dear Commissioners Briggs, Olson and Beltrone;

We write today to address your recent decision to consolidate polling locations in Great Falls to the fairgrounds. Quite simply, we believe that this decision will serve as a detriment to the people in downtown Great Falls and will discourage them from voting. We encourage and ask you to revisit that decision.

We understand and agree that this move will make things easier for the administration of the election. However, we suggest to you that some difficult things are worth the effort. Neighborhood polling is one of these things.

Winston Churchill once said that “democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” He was right; it is a messy and complicated business to keep an election running smoothly. However, that does not mean that we should abdicate our efforts. It would surely be easiest to not have an election at all.

The 7,000 people that live within the borders of Neighborhood Council 7 are the ones that are least likely to own vehicles or other modes of transportation. They are also the population most likely to throw up their hands at any complications in their voting process. Mail ballots are not the answer. If this decision moves forward, we believe that it will result in the de facto disenfranchisement of many of our downtown residents.

Again, we ask you to revisit this decision. We submit to you that neighborhood polling places are inherently beneficial. They encourage local civic discussion and participation. Please do not eliminate this benefit just to gain a little efficiency.

Sincerely,

Aaron Weissman
Mike Taylor
Erin Tropila
Donna Sadler

Neighborhood Council 7 Meeting Agenda

AGENDA
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL
DISTRICT 7
Monday, June 11, 2007
Gibson Room, Civic Center
6:30 p.m.



Please note: This agenda format allows citizens to speak on each issue prior to Council discussion. We encourage your participation. In the interest that all parties can be heard, please limit your comments.



CALL TO ORDER


OLD BUSINESS
Approval of May minutes
824 6th Avenue North—drug activity--Aaron
9th Street traffic--Aaron

NEW BUSINESS
Mitch Tropila—report from MT Senate and questions
Single poling location—letter to County Commissioners--Aaron
916 3rd Avenue North—abandoned property--Aaron
Riverfest booth--Aaron
Neighborhood Concerns


REPORTS
City Commission
ACTION Team
Council of Councils
Police Advisory Board


ADJOURN

Next Meeting – July 9, 2007, Heisey Center

Those Darned Rose Colored Glasses

Remember the survey last Summer on the pools? You know, the one in our water bill where about a solid majority of the people in Great Falls told our City Commission that neighborhood pools were worth saving. Well, whoever that was adding together the figures was certainly pulling something out of somewhere.

If you remember those surveys, our options were to spend nothing (and close down the neighborhood pools) or to spend $2.2 Million in repairs to the Jaycee, the Water Tower and the Mitchell.

Well, $2.2 Million seems to be not quite accurate. Now that we have committed to spend the money, the lowest bid is coming in at something like $2.5 Million. That’s about 14% over the estimate.

This is not the first error in estimation that the City has made in our very recent history. Not by a long shot.

If we move the decimal place over a digit or two to the right, we can recall the city’s estimates for the cost of the coal plant. You remember current cost estimate for the plant we were originally told would cost $515 Million plant is now hovering somewhere around $678 Million.

Moving back in time a few years, we can recall similar unrealistic cost estimates for the golf courses and other public works projects. Moving away from costs, there were a number of similar unrealistic revenue expectations for city ventures, most notably the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Party and the White Water Elephant.

Now, I am not alleging anything inappropriate here. I think that city planners did a study and really thought that the repairs to those pools would come in at the lower number. However, whoever was doing the math and studying the work involved made some major errors. Fourteen percent is a pretty huge variance.

Now, I am pretty sure that Great Falls taxpayers would have supported $2.5 Million to revitalize our neighborhood pools. However, we never got the chance to make a statement either way since the numbers on which most of us based our vote had only a tenuous relationship with reality.

Which leads me to the point of this particular post. Over at ECB, Geeguy has been doing a great job telling truth to power over the seeming inability of city estimators to plan for worst cast scenarios. Our recent news just highlights the point. This is a very important obligation, because these estimators are playing with our money.

I grant you that estimating public works projects is something throwing a dart at a moving target. However, it ain’t rocket science either. At the very least, the city could have put out some informational/non-binding requests for proposals; the responses to those RFPs would have given the city some important information as to the actual costs involved.

Umm, Should't We Encourage Voting???

Here we go again.

Every couple of years, this seems to come up again. You know, the idea that we need to consolidate our polling places into one warehouse to make things easier for the County to administer election day.

While I am all for efficiency, I am not persuaded. Putting more tsuris on the voter is not the answer to declining participation at the polls. Instead of treating the franchise like an onerous burden, we need to remember that our democracy depends on its vibrancy.

Let me be clear; it was a mistake and a shanda to decrease the amount of polling places as was done several years ago. Neighborhood voting should be encouraged.

Our county clerk and recorder seems to want to push us all to mail ballots. While this would make her job easier, it is no good as an answer to her logistical difficulties. Over the past ten years, our country has been moving more and more toward voting-by-mail and as a result, the principle of the secret ballot has suffered. Your vote is your vote; there needs to be no question as to whether you were able to vote your conscience when presented with your ballot.

There may be no law requiring neighborhood voting. However, there is no law requiring common sense, either. Resigning our community to have to either wait in long lines in a confusing warehouse environment or to vote by mail will only decrease participation in the polls. It is a bad idea and deserves to be thrown out again.

An Open Question about "our" Ownership in the Coal Plant

For the past several months, I haven't been speaking about the Coal Plant much. Others in our local blogging community are doing a much more comprehensive job, and I haven't felt the need to insert my 2¢.

However, I was struck by the City's recent announcement that "our" share of ownership in the plant would be reduced to 15%. So, I have a few questions:

1. As best I understand it, SME (a semi-private corporation wholly owned by the City of Great Falls) was to kick in 25% of the construction costs for the coal plant. Will "our" share of the capital costs also be rolled back to 15%?



2. If not, how can the city possibly justify paying one-fourth of the costs of an asset when we will only own less than one-sixth of it?

Someone please explain this to me. Does the term fiduciary responsibility mean anything?

May Neighborhood Council 7 Agenda

AGENDA
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL
DISTRICT 7
Monday, May 14, 2007
Heisey Center, 313 7th Street North
6:30 p.m.



Please note: This agenda format allows citizens to speak on each issue prior to Council discussion. We encourage your participation. In the interest that all parties can be heard, please limit your comments.


NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH


CALL TO ORDER


OLD BUSINESS
Approval of April minutes


NEW BUSINESS
Community Policing
Guardianship & Gatekeepers programs—Jason Kindsvatter & Diana Meyers
Antenna on 9th Street—Denise Cardinal
Conditional Use—Willy Weaver
Summer meetings
Neighborhood Concerns


REPORTS
City Commission
ACTION Team


ADJOURN

Next Meeting – June 11, 2007