Sac City Council Dropping the Ball, TSN picking it up

by Curtis Bloes

It is my observation that the Sac City Council utilizes a series of off the record email meetings, one on one meetings, and any number of other legal but ethically shaky sub-quorums for becoming informed about how to vote about the city’s financial data before an open meeting ever begins.


When on November 9, 2009 Councilman Jim Frederick said, “I reviewed the claims this afternoon, they all looked in order.” He was not just giving a preamble to a vote on claims, he was conducting the most comprehensive financial report EVER CONDUCTED IN PUBLIC in the last 30 months by the Sac City Council.

After the November 23, Sac City Council meeting, I told Councilman Brenny that he personally, and the Council and Sac City Government as a whole are doing a “Shitty job” of keeping the public informed about these matters. Mr. Brenny’s response was that my assessment was a matter of opinion, implying that there are those that would probably hold the opinion that they were doing a pretty good job. I say to Mr. Brenny publically now, and will repeat to his face the next time I see him; Mr. Brenny, those that think you are doing a good job of keeping the public informed about the financial status of our government, are not paying attention.

Because the Sac City Council have shown zero interest in publically disclosing Sac City’s financial standing during their meetings, (you know, when they are supposed to,) I am developing a financial worksheet based on Sac School Board Secretary Frank Strain’s most excellent report that he generates for the school board. Mr. Ledford has preliminarily agreed to fill in the blanks of any financial worksheet I give him, with a probable monetary consideration for his time spelled out in Iowa Code, to which I have agreed, (and have the budget for, thank you all very much for your patronage  .)

It is a damn shame when a private citizen has to pay money to find out and put out this information when we have 5, (well… 3 most of the time,) City Councilmen and a Mayor who could be requiring that this information be put out by their employee, the City Administrator during the city council meeting.

If you have any suggestions for fields you would like me to include on this worksheet drop me a line.