Here is a link for the Commercial Appeal Article that details the drama that occurred during the June 26 Board of Mayor and Aldermen Meeting:
Lawton foes vocal in Germantown budget hearing.
Also here:
I rarely attend public hearings, mostly because I am lazy (I love my dark chocolate bars.)
For those of us in the Snickers Crowd, thankfully there is another option to sitting in on meetings.
The City of Germantown has these all recorded!
Link to Archived Videos
That meeting was something else, so much so that I decided to make a YouTube about it, focusing not specifically on Lawton's salary (which is discussed in the newspaper article) but all the ways that the Board may not have been adhering to Charter requirements. I went to the archived videos and just included all the pieces related to the charter. This should save us Snickers folks a lot of time. This YouTube is about 12 minutes long, vs. three hours for the whole thing.
My Commentary
You can make you own mind up about this. I am a BIG BELIEVER in the rule of law in issues of governance. It is pretty simple, really. Follow the letter of the law. If the law isn't good, change it. This YouTube highlights what I think could be issues in the way City Hall has been operating. I am very sensitive to diversionary tactics, which is why I will not allow them in comments on my blog. I love the police here too. I REALLY LOVE THE POLICE. I am having a difficult time trying to figure out how this really addresses the question of what is required by the Charter on the issue of the City Administrator's salary. If you have no idea what I am talking about you have not watched the YouTube.
Let me say this one more time. I love our police department. I love the parks, I love Germantown. I love dark chocolate bars. AND I love the rule of law in issues of governance. I am a loving multi-tasker.
Addendum: The screen shots I used for the video--the charter sections that apply to
1. setting the salary of the administrator,
2. setting all salaries and benefits,
3. the ability of citizens to see the full budget before it is voted on, and
4. the revised draft minutes that will reflect the salary of the city administrator (after all that heated discussion!)
For those with smart phones, here is a list of posts in this blog:
Charter, charter, What's in the Charter? And what is the City Administrator's Salary?
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