Useless agenda week at the City.

It’s August, so there are fewer meetings, but not this many fewer . . . watch for additions through the week, making the “weekly” meeting schedule a joke of serious proportions . . . usually, this is about 65 – 80% of the meetings for the week. i.e. they don’t really care if you know what local government is doing, in fact, they really don’t want you to know. Why isn’t the mayor calling for transparency and predictability here?

Monday, August 9, 2010
4:45 PM LANDMARKS COMMISSION ROOM LL-100 MMB
Tear Down house next to Ace Hardware on Willy to expand hardware store?
Discussion of the development process
Landmarks ordinance revisions
University Ave reconstruction (and destruction of historic buildings?)

5:00 PM CONFERENCE COMMITTEE 2011-2012 FUNDING PROCESS ROOM 260 MMB
– This agenda is irritating, because unlike all the other CDBG and Community Services, Seniors and Early Childhood committees, none of the information is available including the applications and staff comments.

5:15 PM MADISON BOARD OF POLICE AND FIRE COMMISSIONERS ROOM GR 22 CCB
– Another pretty useless and annoying agenda, the “may” they use in the language that appears regularly on their agenda pretty much makes their agendas meaningless. What’s bothersome is that this is supposed to be the citizens oversight committee for the police and fire department and it is anything but transparent. There’s another process the mayor could call for a review of . . .

5:30 PM PLAN COMMISSION ROOM 201 CCB
Discussing the co-op amendment that failed, passed, was ruled out of order and now is on the agenda again.
Amended demolition permit for CDA project on Badger/Cypress to allow 6 demolitions before court cases settled on 7th building

Tuesday, August 10, 2010
12:00 PM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY ROOM 313 MMB
– Burr Oaks Update (They tell me they use the same legistar items every time they are on the agenda and if there were handouts, they would be there. Apparently, the committee hasn’t gotten a single hand out the entire time they have discussed this item. Right. eyeroll.)
– Affordable Housing Trust Fund request for Truax update – even tho CDBG has handouts, apparently the CDA members do not?
– Financial Plan for Truax – also apparently never any handouts?
– Burr oaks/Ann St – no handouts
– Allied Drive Phase 2 – no handouts

This is what staff told me:

There is absolutely nothing sent to CDA members that are not included in Legistar. All the attachments to all agenda items are included in legistar. If there is a subsequent amendment to the agenda, the item along with the attachments will be included in Legistar. As the person responsible for the agenda, I religiously make it a point to include everything in legistar. Only under rare circumstances will something be passed out at a meeting. If so, I will be included included in the minutes and Legistar so the public will know.

This can’t be true, or if it is, the CDA is in worse shape than I thought.

5:00 PM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT COMMITTEE ROOM 300 MMB
– They will be discussing the recommendations for funding for the non-profits that applied, unfortunately, this item doesn’t have the score sheets, the applications, or staff reports and additional submitted information that they will be discussing attached. i.e. Another useless agenda.

5:00 PM PUBLIC SAFETY REVIEW COMMITTEE ROOM GR 22 CCB
– Holy crap, almost two years later and they have the ordinance to deal with “lost” items in the parks . . . i.e. why they shouldn’t just throw out homeless belongings in the park. Of course, any hint of my name on this has been removed.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010
8:00 AM EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE ROOM 260 MMB
Q&A time for the agencies for funding for this year.

10:30 AM MINORITY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE (MAC) ROOM LL-130 MMB
– I didn’t see anything.

4:00 PM BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS 325 OLIN AVE
– Annual parks tour.

4:30 PM CDA HOUSING OPERATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE 755 BRAXTON PL, COMMUNITY ROOM
– I didn’t see anything of importance, of course if it was, I wouldn’t know how I would know with no attachments.

5:35 PM COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE ROOM 260 MMB
Q & A for agencies under “Access to Resources”

Thursday, August 12, 2010
8:30 AM RHYTHM & BOOMS PLANNING TEAM ROOM 108 CCB
– Reviewing this year and recommendations for next year. (no attachments)

9:00 AM MONONA TERRACE BOARD OF DIRECTORS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE DANE ROOM, ONE JOHN NOLEN DR, LEVEL TWO
– 2011 Operating Budget (no attachments)
– Approval of Search Committee for New Executive Director (no attachments)
– Update on Stagehand Agreement (no attachments)

4:30 PM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY ROOM 313 MMB
Greenbush Housing Plan
$1M loan to themselves from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund (gee, how do you think they will vote?)
– Housing Merger Committee Final Report (not attached, I wonder how they will discuss it if they allegedly never seen it?)
– Truax update (no info)
– Truman Olson update (no info)
– Villager Update
– Burr Oaks (no info)

5:00 PM EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES COMMISSION ROOM LL-120 MMB
Prepayment for taxi rides.

5:00 PM TIF REVIEW BOARD ROOM 260 MMB
– Should they expand the State St/University Square TID all the way to the other side of the capital by James Madison Park? Public hearing, they want to hear from you. This will impact the school and county budget, as well as the city’s. In a time of tight budgets, is this what we need? Plenty of attachments.

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