Even though I’m almost broke, I’ll spend $130,000 for a survey
for the City of Hollister to update development, user, impact fees,
etc.
City and financial management is also having trouble deciding if
they’re $6 million in debt or possibly $2 to 4 million. Are the
books audited? How would a business or household pay bills if they
didn’t know how much was coming in or going out? Not just dollars,
but millions!
Even though I’m almost broke, I’ll spend $130,000 for a survey for the City of Hollister to update development, user, impact fees, etc.
City and financial management is also having trouble deciding if they’re $6 million in debt or possibly $2 to 4 million. Are the books audited? How would a business or household pay bills if they didn’t know how much was coming in or going out? Not just dollars, but millions!
When the public voted a council member into office, they hope the city will run efficiently and smoothly based on councils motions and input. They hire city manager, city attorney, secretaries, clerks, maintenance personnel, etc. Apparently, none of these people are capable of doing a survey. Letters can be written, meeting, retreats, etc., with cities of like problems and population. Perhaps some of them have made surveys already.
The city attorney, city manager and four of five council members voted for a survey expending $130,000 and almost immediately hire an out of town survey team from Temecula. Why survey the sewer rate when the public has already been told a raise of 50 to 100 percent is likely? Here again is about a 50 percent differential.
Now come the scare tactics. Cities and counties can be taken to court. Well, that happens from time to time no matter how careful the plan. The city manager, along with employees, should collect information from similar cities.
If you run a business, you surely know how and what percentage to raise prices without a survey. As far as Consumer Price Index and construction cost, they are available.
If the City of Hollister needs updating every five years, taxpayers will pay more next time as prices rise. It’s too bad we have no employees who are capable of making a survey and good judgement to help with city deficit, help save city employee jobs and contribute to a stable City of Hollister.
And why did the Council let San Benito Foods industrial wastewater bill go unpaid since 1999? Where was the city attorney? Why didn’t they negotiate and if no agreement was reached, take them to court as in private business when a bill isn’t paid?
And why did the City of Hollister pave roads in subdivisions that were about 12 years old and let rough alleys with holes and poor drainage, along with West Street in downtown Hollister go untouched?
I am 80 years old. I’ve lived in a lot of towns in my lifetime, but I have never seen one of those cities run like the City of Hollister. We, the people, put the council in office, but after they have been in office a few months, they fall right in line with the rest of them and do as they well please. I am fed up with all of it – and this is my survey.
Emmett Steele,
Hollister
