As I noted yesterday, the PD Fee is for the moment History, very bad History, but still so it is.
The Council finally moved on too the rest of the Agenda commencing with the Resolution to Support making Home Rule permanent.
Mr. Rapp: Home Rule has enabled Vienna to do a lot of things for our Community. Fines for not maintaining property; fines if lawns are not mowed as Mr. Anderson has noted. Plus other things we have improved. I am not going to list all that is said to have been done. They are all readable on the Home Rule Page Application/ Ordinance of the City Website.
The Cities receiving Home Rule have received $72 Million that would have went to Charleston. Than, we would have had to submit grants to get some of those dollars. Passed 6-0
Than the resolution to recover unpaid B&O Taxes via litigation as needed. This per Mr. Skogstad was only about $2,000. or less. But it was all a matter of fairness in that if one pays, than all should pay their share too. He noted that several letters had been sent. So now asking authority to pursue via litigation if necessary. He said he had not named anyone, they know who they are and the City will deal with them as it can. Unfair to Businesses' that pay their share while others do not.
Mr. Leach: Can we send 10 day letter with copy of Resolution.
Mr. Skogstad: We can do than, but we have already sent several letters. (There was a comment on another site that the City should send them a letter, to each to arrange to make payments if they don't have it all at one time or their license's will not be renewed). The person who suggested this is not aware of what was in the previously sent letters or just trying to participate while in over their head? May I suggest do a FOIA to get copies of Letters (addresses/ names will be redacted most likely). They should outline what was offered or would happen if no action by Business? Than a suggestion for yet another letter would be possibly a good idea. This would also apply to Mr. Leach and his ultimatum letter. Passed 6-0.
Than covered Mr. Leach's "10 best practices for newly elected officials". He had noted this in a copy of newsletter by the State's "Municipal League". He noted that there is a cumulative institutional knowledge that you need to acquire to do a job. Government does not function by Statue or custom usage. The City is run by the Department Heads. The City Council does by oversight. (Now, heard the most interesting thing on Cable News where a long experienced participant in Federal Government noted that the long time employees do not accept being questioned on what they are doing by new people in Elected or even Appointed Higher Office. They are expecting to be sucked up too and asked what the new person should do? This is no different here in Vienna. We have Department Heads who have done a job for many years, even decades and are spoiled. If questioned too hard or pushed on an idea that they do not want to answer or do, they will as in D.C. become the "Deep State" and circle the wagons against the interloper. Mr. Rapp, who I would suggest is but a Mama's boy has shown himself in his dealings to be afraid of women? That is why he is what I would ask is nothing more than a surrogate Mayor? I have been told more than once who the real Mayor of Vienna is said to be and would give those people a great deal of credibility but that they are right? The City has become departmentalized too where who should know, does not and where whoa to anyone that crosses a line. This 'Deep State" in Vienna is alive and well and I will note later where it has come into play against the best interests of the City as a whole)
Mr. Rapp: We are a team and need to work on that diligently. Passed 6-0.
Next item to be done was a Resolution to do the Bid Approval for T- Shirts for the Parks Department.
There were what seems is the usual two (2) bids.? One from D&D for $22,615. and one from Spectrum/ Shirt Tales for $26,212.50.
Mr. Conley: These are all for Sports Teams?
Mr. Rapp: Yes, all uniforms for the year. (First lie).
Conley: For Workers, Coaches, Asst., Coaches
Mr. Rapp: Employee and Sports.
Mr. Conley: Parks (1) Employees (2)?
Mr. Rapp: And (3), sporting (4), teams(5). Those five words were the second lie. This passed 6-0 for D&D bid.
Again, Mr. Rapp has lied on this purchase. The Clothing and it was noted to be more than just T-Shirts are for ALL City Employees at about 3 each per year by type/ style? A few years back, the purchase of City Employee clothing AND the Parks Sports Programs/ VRIA(?) were combined supposedly for cost savings? I had just done a FOIA on the cost of clothing for the City over a period of years and suspect as is usually the case an attempt to hide what is being spent as yet another Benefit for the Staff at no cost to them? I would suspect that a good $6,500., to $7,500., of this bid is just for City Employees- maybe more? Mr. Conley got played- again. There should have been an attached listing of everything on that bid and for whom? For example: Polo Shirts- 243, City Staff. 'nuff said'.