The August 8th, 2011 Mountain Home City Council Meeting was quite interesting. There were about 20-25 citizens in attendance, all the “Department Heads” and myself. The flow of the whole meeting was again interrupted by a long Executive Session as the City Leaders try to resolve, in private, the legal nightmares still ongoing from the “No Limits Christian Ministries” lawsuit.
A lot of decisions were made last night so I will likely not cover all of them.
Issues Covered During This Meeting
1. Golf Course: The Desert Canyon Golf Course Manager, Rob Ellis, was told he has full authority to buy advertising to increase the customer base. They want to explore radio advertising or putting an ad in the “Statesman”. Council Schroeder made a statement that rang true in my ears…“find a way to measure the effectiveness of the advertising the golf course buys”.
2. Mountain Home Museum Funding: Much to my surprise, the council agreed to fund our local museum to a tune of about $12,300 of taxpayers’ money. This long discussion with the Museum Staff got a little heated, but funding for hiring a new Preservation Director was unanimously approved with one caveat. The Director’s position will no longer be a “City Employee” and the Board will have full and complete control over this position.
- After the last City Council Meeting I was sure the Mountain Home Museum would lose all City funding. This change of heart by our Council was likely due to Elmore County agreeing pony up matching funds to keep the museum open.
- I believe the Mountain Home Museum bring a lot of value to our community and continued funding is a good thing. I also believe the Museum Board needs to find a way to become more self-sufficient in a big hurry. I’m willing to help, some members of the Council are willing to pitch in but the citizens must do more.
3. Buying a HUD House: The Council agreed they will continue to explore the idea of buying a HUD owned house in Mountain Home. The basic premise is, the City will buy a house for about $300 and then auction it off to raise money for the Seniors Center or maybe even to fund the Museum.
– My thoughts are “City Government” shouldn’t be in the residential real estate business. It’s a bad idea even if it can help fund some really good causes. It sounds wrong and feels wrong to me.
4. The City’s FY 2012 Annual Budget: This was a “Public Hearing” and the budget was passed without any input from those in attendance. Not sure if this means “The City Budget” is a done deal or not. Seems like there would be much more public discussion about the use of over $22 million of our money? Guess it’s time to visit City Hall and get educated.
5. The Mountain Home Airport to Buy a Jet Fuel Truck: The airport manager is exploring the idea of buying a fuel truck from an airport in Arizona for a “more than reasonable cost”. I understand our airport’s in-ground fuel tank is in need of some upgrades. It’s possible this “used” fuel truck could save the City some big dollars so we won’t have to pay for the tank repair.
But a lot of questions remain about the “legal usability” of this truck. The Council gave the Airport Manager and Fire Chief their marching orders to make sure we can legally use this vehicle before spending about $9,000.
6. Boy Scouts Of America: I was glad to see 2 Boy Scouts in attendance last night. These two youngsters are trying to earn their “Communication Merit Badge”. A City Council Meeting is one of the ways to accomplish this task. Maybe this civics lesson will stick with them through their entire life?
Comment Season is Coming to a Close? Not really! Comment on this article to let the City Council know your feelings, concerns and/or gripes. I think they do a good job but you may not.
