Letter to the editor: Recent votes on city manager raise, water bonds, inconsistent

Mayor, Council Members: The February 5 council meeting was not one any of us should be proud of.

Mayor Neal: You have had a year to evaluate the performance of the city manager as to whether he deserved a raise, yet you took a pass for additional time.

Council Members Billingsley & Lyons: Being on the council a short time, your need for more time can be considered valid.

Council Member Brown: You also have had a year to evaluate the performance of the city manager as to whether he deserved a raise, and I believe you voted your conscience.

County Member Blair: You also have had a year to evaluate the performance of the city manager as to whether he deserved a raise, and I believe your vote was because of your apparent dislike for Mr. Olson and not because of a perceived notion that other city employees may have foregone a raise, or because his performance did not warrant a raise.

I find it surprising that two council members voted no on the creation of a Rate Stabilization Fund, which was not an expenditure of monies nor an increase in fees or taxes to the citizenry, but merely a designated savings fund for help to ensure the City of Lemoore can meet its bond payments. A fund which could also be tapped for other uses, if the need were to arise.

I also find it surprising that two council members voted no on a resolution to ensure protections for the City and bondholders. This resolution was merely boilerplate for best practices. I would submit that all of you have likely signed documents to purchase a house or a car, without reading all of the boilerplate wording. And, not one of you, in this instance, thought to ask for an opinion on this resolution from the city attorney.

The actual resolution to authorize the issuance of the bonds did pass by a 4-1 vote. I can only suppose the dissenting vote was not in favor of improving the water quality for all Lemoore residents and was in favor of potential fines from the California State Government for failure to meet state standards.

Council Members Billingsley & Lyons: You said you needed more time to evaluate a raise of approximately $7,290 for the city manager, yet you had no more time to evaluate a bond issue amounting to $30,000,000. While I applaud you for making this necessary vote, I hope that you can see the irony and inconsistency of such voting.

It was, however, a momentous council meeting since we are now on a pathway to better drinking water for ourselves and future residents of Lemoore.

Thomas Reed

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