[Vision2020] Sewer Agreement

[Sue Hovey]

In answer to Sam's question, committee meetings are open meetings and must abide by the open meeting law, but here's the kicker--the Republicans continue to hold their caucuses in private and inasmuch as they are the supermajority in the leg, they often take their votes there and when an issue comes to the committee it's a done deal. That's particularly true when a vote might be close or contentious.   That practice has been questioned, but no questioner has prevailed.  I thought the open meeting law covered all public entities and no discussion could be held in secret unless it met some pretty stringent guidelines.  School boards may discuss negotiations in executive session, so maybe the Hawkins issue falls within that limitation.  

Sue H. 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Saundra Lund 
  To: 'Sam Scripter' 
  Cc: vision2020 at moscow.com 
  Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 9:38 PM
  Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Sewer Agreement


  Hi MoscowSam and Other Interested Visionaries,

   

  Thanks for the response!  I think your question is a good one I don't know the answer to - perhaps Roger Falen (I've cc'ed him my response) might have some comments?  I seem to recall that he's got a keen interest in and understanding of ID Open Meeting Law.

   

  Awhile back (2005), I attended a local workshop sponsored by the AG's office regarding open meeting and public records laws, which I found very informative!  And, this is why the whole stinkin' (pun intended) sewer agreement folded into the water negotiation puzzles and troubles me.  Of course, I'm not a legal eagle or attorney . . . 

   

  Regardless, it seems to me that if we, as local citizens, can't ensure that Open Meeting law is followed on a local level, it's a dicey proposition to think that it will be respected and followed on a state level.  Which is why I asked the question regarding the secret negotiations regarding the secret sewer negotiations and agreement regarding the Hawkins development in Washington state.

   

   

  Saundra Lund

  Moscow, ID

   

  The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.

  ~ Edmund Burke

   

  ***** Original material contained herein is Copyright 2008 through life plus 70 years, Saundra Lund.  Do not copy, forward, excerpt, or reproduce outside the Vision 2020 forum without the express written permission of the author.*****

   

  From: Sam Scripter [mailto:moscowsam at verizon.net] 
  Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 10:52 PM
  To: Saundra Lund
  Cc: vision2020 at moscow.com
  Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Sewer Agreement

   

  Please see below, in black . . .

  Saundra Lund wrote: 

  Visionaries:

   

  As I continue to try to understand the Council's decision, I've come across something else that puzzles me, and I'm hoping someone here can help me to understand.

   

  My understanding is that the City of Moscow had appealed the transfer to Hawkins of  three water rights, and the mediation was an attempt to resolve that issue.  Apparently, the City agreed to confidentiality in negotiations as part of that deal.

   

  However, why was the sewer (in more ways than one!) part of agreement secretly negotiated and what's the legal authority behind removing that part of public business from public scrutiny and public input?

   

  To quote Idaho Attorney General Lance Wasden:

  "Open and honest government is fundamental to a free society. The Idaho Legislature formalized our state's commitment to open government by enacting the Idaho Open Meeting Law in 1974. The Open Meeting Law codifies a simple, but fundamental, Idaho value: The public's business ought to be done in public."

   

  Do committees of the Idaho State House of Representatives and of the Idaho State Senate adhere to the Idaho Open Meeting Law????

  MoscowSam



  Inquiring minds want to understand!

   

   

  TIA,

  Saundra Lund

  Moscow, ID

   

  The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.

  ~ Edmund Burke

   

  ***** Original material contained herein is Copyright 2008 through life plus 70 years, Saundra Lund.  Do not copy, forward, excerpt, or reproduce outside the Vision 2020 forum without the express written permission of the author.*****

   



------------------------------------------------------------------------------


  =======================================================
   List services made available by First Step Internet, 
   serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.   
                 http://www.fsr.net                       
            mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
  =======================================================
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.fsr.com/pipermail/vision2020/attachments/20080213/c02bcf98/attachment-0001.html