Author: Ryan Gilday

1. Quick Update on the HCD I was hoping for more discussion on the response to the following motion: Councilors Jenness and Drinkwater – Request City Manager Have Proper Department Explore the Potential For Targeted Mixed Use Development On One Or More Remaining City-Owned Parcels Within The HCID And Report. I was happy to see…

I missed last week’s meeting and I should probably skip this week too as I’ve got nothing this morning. However, I’d hate to disappoint the dozen or so people in the market for a council meeting recap, so here we go: 1. Voting Machines A few weeks back, a poll worker addressed the council on…

Hell no. What kind of hedonist goes out on a Tuesday night anyway? 1. A Small Step Forward on Zoning In March of 2021, the city released a Housing Availability Report (in response to a motion by Councilors Rourke and Noun) seeking ways to increase housing availability by reviewing our zoning laws. The report is…

Dense meeting last night. Mona Tyree honored, class trip to Montreal, ARPA Funds, Fire Trucks, Inflation Reduction Act and Clean Energy, Facebook, disruptive audience members, Shedd Park, cannabis delivery and 18 new motions. As per usual, I’m going to cut some massive corners. Good time to remind that these meetings are broadcast in all their…

I swear to you that in years past these meetings used to feature yelling matches with the city manager and accusations of assault between councilors. It seems like those days are long gone. It’s all dry government business now However, it’s not all peace and love. Last night, there was a big development in the…

1. “Essential” But Not Essential “Essential” When Congress authorized ARPA, they permitted premium pay for frontline essential workers as one of four expressly permitted ways that state and local governments can use the funds. Premium pay is intended to compensate essential employees for heightened risk due to COVID-19. It must be entirely additive to an employee’s…

Government was happening last night. Maybe not as much as some councilors would have preferred, but let’s take a look. 1. New Show at the MRT Last night, representatives from the MRT were present to plug a new show titled “Letters From Home,” currently running until February 5th. The show is written and performed by…

Apparently there’s an election this year? Big news, if true. I guess now would be a good time to check-in on the council to see where they are on the money end of things. The Office of Campaign and Political Finance is an independent state agency that administers the state’s campaign finance laws. OCPF is the…

More like half a recap. Maybe 60%? I dunno. I was streaming the LTC feed and at about 7:45 p.m. something happened to my audio. I’m not sure if the problem was on my end or theirs (though there is no replay up today, so maybe they are still having some issues). In any event…

Like most of you, I just completed my year-end review of 2022’s council motions. I would have liked to get this post up sooner, but I got sidetracked with work and holiday commitments. More importantly, this project was the wrong combination of tedious and pointless. As such, what seemed like a good idea in early…