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Annual Council Retreat
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randy View Drop Down
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Joined: Jan 13 2009
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    Posted: Jan 13 2010 at 10:12am

From City Managers Report Dated January 10, 2010

We are working on scheduling a day for the retreat and will be getting with Council to survey your availability. Our first choices of Jan. 30 and Feb do not work for all members. We are fortunate to have Kent Bradshaw assist us again with facilitation. Since Mr. Bradshaw sits on one of our Boards, we are unable to pay for his services but he has generously volunteered to facilitate. The Mayor, Vice-mayor and I will be meeting with Mr. Bradshaw to plan the agenda for the retreat. If any Council member has thoughts please feel free to contact one of us prior to Jan. 22. Mr. Bradshaw typically also makes contact with each Council member for input, and I assume that he will do so after our meeting on the 22nd.

You can view the city managers report in its entirety at
Call me for a www.CameraSecurityNow.com quote 513-422-1907 x357
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randy View Drop Down
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Points: 1586 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote randy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 13 2010 at 10:13am
I guess my only question is how much does this cost the tax payer?
Call me for a www.CameraSecurityNow.com quote 513-422-1907 x357
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Bobbie View Drop Down
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Points: 288 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bobbie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 13 2010 at 10:40am

Instead of a retreat somewhere - it might be good to just have something local with the least expense as possible.  I really feel that with the cost of jobs it does not look good for our counsil members and city manager to go away on a retreat.  If they really would like to see support from the community they would opt to have it at the city building or maybe at the Manchester. 

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VietVet View Drop Down
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Points: 7008 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote VietVet Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 13 2010 at 10:55am
How about in conjunction with this retreat, while we have them all there, we have a town meeting, with no rules, answering all of the public's questions in an open format??? How about it Councilmembers? Lets get Gilleland, Landen, Robinette and all the Directors gathered also, to field questions from the public. Only dreaming folks! None of them have the guts to face us.
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randy View Drop Down
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Points: 1586 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote randy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 13 2010 at 11:04am

I just want to know where they are going and how much it cost and who foots the bill. I am pretty sure I know the answer to that last .
Call me for a www.CameraSecurityNow.com quote 513-422-1907 x357
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swohio75 View Drop Down
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Points: 820 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote swohio75 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 13 2010 at 11:14am

Past retreats, if my memory serves me correct, have usually been in a "community" room at a local institution--for example Midfirst Credit Union.  Probably don't have to pay to use the room.  Mr. Bradshaw, as indiciated in the City Manager's report, is not being paid for his services.

My guess is the major expense for the day is food and beverage--which can't amount to more than a couple hundred dollars or so. 
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Mike_Presta View Drop Down
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Points: 3483 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mike_Presta Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 13 2010 at 3:04pm
Perhaps Council can contract with an ex-councilman to cater the retreat for a few thousand???
“Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012
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spiderjohn View Drop Down
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Points: 2749 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote spiderjohn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 13 2010 at 3:09pm
Forget this one Randy
This is hardly a high-budget affair at some exotic locale(though I don't know this year's specifics).
It is usually very local and low-key.
Probably a non-issue.
The scary stuff is what is decided at this session.
Should be VERY interesting this year
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VietVet View Drop Down
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Points: 7008 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote VietVet Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 13 2010 at 3:42pm
Question for you Mike: If Spider says that decisions are made at this retreat and the retreat is a private affair involving just council members, how does city business get discussed in a private "retreat" and not violate a Sunshine Law? Or is the business discussed at these retreats excluded from this? I thought whenever more than 3 or more councilmembers sat down, that a quorum is in effect .........- (just like what was mentioned in all of the committee meetings.) Just curious how this works.
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Mike_Presta View Drop Down
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Points: 3483 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mike_Presta Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 13 2010 at 8:20pm
These retreats ARE public meetings of the council, and they ARE open to the public.
 
I would attend myself, but they usually start around 8 AM, and I seldom stay up that late!!!  Big%20smile
“Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012
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Hermes View Drop Down
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Points: 1637 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hermes Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 13 2010 at 10:34pm
Originally posted by VietVet VietVet wrote:

Question for you Mike: If Spider says that decisions are made at this retreat and the retreat is a private affair involving just council members, how does city business get discussed in a private "retreat" and not violate a Sunshine Law? Or is the business discussed at these retreats excluded from this? I thought whenever more than 3 or more councilmembers sat down, that a quorum is in effect .........- (just like what was mentioned in all of the committee meetings.) Just curious how this works.
 
 
That one slipped by all of us,but good ole Vet caught it !!!
 
Good point Vet !!!  Clap
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Mike_Presta View Drop Down
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Points: 3483 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mike_Presta Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 14 2010 at 3:43am
Hermes:
I wasn't kidding!  These retreats ARE public meetings of the council, and they ARE open to the public.
 
By law, the "newspaper of record" (which, in this case would be The Middletown Journal) must be notified of the time and place at least 24 hours in advance.  However, that is the case for ALL regular meetings, and special meetings, of public bodies. 
 
Additionally, for a monthly fee, any citizen must also be individually notified:

§ 208.05 PERSONAL NOTIFICATION.

Any person, upon request and upon the advance payment of the fee specified in this section, may obtain notice of any meeting, regular or special, at which any type of public business is to be discussed. Advance notice shall consist of mailing or faxing the agenda of meetings to all subscribers. To receive notification by regular U.S. mail, the subscriber must provide self-addressed, stamped envelopes, and pay, in advance, a fee of two dollars and fifty cents ($2.50) per month. To receive notification by facsimile transmission, the subscriber must pay, in advance, four dollars ($4.00) per month.
 
Heck, I was/am on the council Finance Committee and I wasn't told when/where the last couple were held.  Of course, I admit that I didn't pony up my $2.50/month.
 
So, is a "public meeting" really "public" if it is generally unknown when or where it is to be held???
 
When was the last time anyone saw a notice in The Journal for a meeting of, say, the Golf Commission???  Anyone???
 
What about, say, the Middletown Clean Community Board???  Anyone???
 
The Commission on Landmarks and Historic Structures???  Anyone???
 
And what about the "letter of the law" versus the "spirit of the law"???  The Journal is now a morning newspaper.  If a public meeting is scheduled (or the location changes) for, say, 2:00 pm on a Thursday, and The Journal is notified around 9:00 am on Wednesday (exceeding the legal 24 hour required notice), The Journal cannot publish it until Thursday morning.  Many people do not read the newspaper until the late afternoon or evening!  Too bad, so sad, you didn't need to be there anyway!  If anything happens that they want you to know about, they will mail you a citation, oops will tell you!
 
I know, I know...I'm being picky again...and we really shouldn't expect our "Public Officials" to follow the law anyway, should we??  Those silly ol' laws are just for us little people!
 
“Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012
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VietVet View Drop Down
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Points: 7008 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote VietVet Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 14 2010 at 6:52am
The only place I see these individual commission meetings listed is on the City Of Middletown site on the calender. Odd, when Billy Becker's Street Repair Committee was going strong, the Journal gave notification of those meetings on a regular basis, but I didn't see the Finance Committee times and dates published on an on-going basis during that same time.

Do you think Sammy A., Judy G., Annie M., Marty K. and some of the MMF boys and girls would mail us a personal invitation to their little committees if we asked them to? I know they value our input and are big fans of ours and our MUSA family. Probably so fond of us, they talk about us all the time!
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Pacman View Drop Down
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Points: 2612 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Pacman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 14 2010 at 7:02am
Did we not just vote to amend the Charter to do away with Public Notifications of these types in the Journal and to have them on the city web site only to save about $8-10k a year or was that for some other type of notification?  These  meetings are nothing more than a one day meeting held locally usually in the past on a Saturday morning.  Why they call it a retreat and need an outside moderator to discuss city business is beyond me.  have it at MUM in an auditorium and heavily advertise it to the Public and allow them to bring in their concerns I am sure you will have more than enough to work on for the year....but then you must have a dialog with the Public and that is a  BAD thing ......"We are not set up for." 
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Mike_Presta View Drop Down
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Points: 3483 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mike_Presta Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 14 2010 at 7:23pm
Originally posted by Pacman Pacman wrote:

Did we not just vote to amend the Charter to do away with Public Notifications of these types in the Journal and to have them on the city web site only...
Pac,
You are, as usual, correct!!!
 
Let me rephrase:
 
When was the last time anyone saw a notice in The Journal  on the City's web site for a meeting of, say, the Golf Commission???  Anyone???
 
What about, say, the Middletown Clean Community Board???  Anyone???
 
The Commission on Landmarks and Historic Structures???  Anyone???
 
If there has been notice on the City's web site for these boards/commissions, can someone kindly tell me WHERE???
“Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012
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