[Vision2020] URA independent of City Council

Wed Mar 4 13:13:52 PST 2015

NOTE:  for anyone responding to my email, please do be sure to check the To and CC fields so that your response won’t go anyplace you don’t want it to go.

Hi Mr. Steed,

Thanks for your response to Tom Hansen’s inquiry, which he posted to Vision2020.

Lucky for you, I understand that you aren’t one of the MURA commissioners, so I only have one nit to pick with you and you can then feel free to skip the rest, which are most appropriately addressed to the MURA commissioners and interim executive director  :)

You wrote:

“The people of Moscow can publicly air their comments during any Moscow City Council or URA public comment period, which is on every agenda of each entity's regular meetings.”

I think that statement could be a little misleading to folks.  My understanding is that comments can only be offered for items not on the agenda, yes?  Looking at the MURA Meeting Minutes, what that practically seems to mean is that stakeholders haven’t been able to offer comment on the Sixth & Jackson property at MURA meetings for the last five months.  Since 24 September 2014 --  well before the RFP was issued and the proposals were received --  the Sixth & Jackson Property has been on the agenda at each meeting.  At least, that’s the way it seems to me according to the Minutes available on the MURA site (the last Minutes available are from the 10 December 2014 meeting – there have been no Meeting Minutes from 2015 posted yet).

Mr. Steed, you may feel free to quit reading now  :)

MURA Commissioners:

Please look at this as a teachable moment.  Mr. Bettge was kind enough to post to V2020 a link to the 115 page document last Wednesday afternoon before the early morning meeting Thursday.  I’m still trying to digest the thing  :)

If any of my above comment to Mr. Steed is incorrect, please correct my misunderstanding.

I do have a couple of questions I’d appreciate if someone could answer for me.  If the answers exist in documents, please point me in the right direction because I’ve had no luck on my own so far.

What – if any – efforts does the MURA take to inform stakeholders of projects and proposals and to provide stakeholders with the opportunity to provide input?  If the commission isn’t interested in input from stakeholders, why is that?  I’ve spent some time looking at how other URAs operate and there seems to be a wide variety of methods, but it seems like a lot of URAs operate in a truly open manner including holding public hearings for projects and proposals.  It doesn’t seem to me that’s the way the MURA operates, and if I’m correct, I’m wondering why  “our” URA has taken a more exclusive approach?

It would seem to me it would be beneficial to get stakeholders invested in the process and projects, yes?

Whether it’s the MURA’s intention or not, the way it operates appears to indicate it wants to keep stakeholders in the dark.  First, the meetings are held at a time that is inconvenient/impossible for many of us.  I get that with respect to meeting times, you can’t please all of the people all of the time  :)

So, a next line of information, transparency, and accountability might be education and outreach, and something as simple as getting Meeting Minutes up in a timely manner would be beneficial, it seems to me.

Why in the name of all that’s holy aren’t the meeting minutes available in a timely manner?!?!?  If you sense my frustration, it’s because this is a HUGE complaint I’ve had with the MURA before.

-----Original Message-----
From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com] On Behalf Of Saundra Lund
Sent: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 8:44 PM
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
Cc: griedner at ci.moscow.id.us; jpfiffner at ci.moscow.id.us; jweber at moscow.com; tlamar at moscow.com; nchaney at ci.moscow.id.us; jnelson at latah.id.us
Subject: [Vision2020] Moscow URA Meeting Minutes?

Visionaries:

Does anyone know how long it takes to get Moscow's URA Meeting Minutes up?!

Since the meetings are scheduled for a time when I cannot attend, and since I've not been able to find video of the meetings on the City's Web site, I've been *trying* to keep current by relying on the minutes.

However, this has become absolutely impossible due to significant delays in getting the meeting minutes posted -- the last minutes posted are for the *8/13* meeting, yet there have been ***three*** regular scheduled meetings since then plus a strategic planning meeting on 8/26.  Very frustrating!  What is the reason for this significant delay, and why are videos of the meetings not available on the City's Web site?

For a project surrounded with as much controversy as this -- and that's costing City of Moscow *and* Latah County taxpayers as much as it is -- it seems to me that the City would have a huge stake in transparency and accountability, both of which are difficult to come by when the public is kept in the dark.

Saundra Lund

At that time, I received a response from Mr. Riedner indicating that the delay was a process / human error situation that would be corrected, and I know at least one of the then-commissioners seemed to be as concerned as I was about the routine delays in Minutes being posted.

As a stakeholder, I can tell you that the continued delay during the subsequent years in Meeting Minutes being posted in anything resembling a timely manner caused me give up and has left a bad tasted in my mouth about the MURA.  If I can’t make the meetings, if the Minutes aren’t available in a timely manner, and if the meetings aren’t covered by journalists (something I realize you have no control over), then stakeholders are excluded.

And here we are again discussing unreasonable delays in Meeting Minutes being posted, which genuinely makes it impossible for interested stakeholders to know what the heck the MURA is doing.  It’s been mentioned more than once to me that perhaps the delays aren’t unintentional at all.  Not being one to buy into conspiracy theories, I really don’t want to go that direction, but . . . here we are again.

I look forward to my questions being answered.

Saundra Lund

Moscow, ID

All the beautiful sentiments in the world weigh less than a single lovely action.

~ James Russell Lowell

From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com] On Behalf Of Tom Hansen
Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2015 9:48 AM
To: Walter M Steed
Cc: Bill Belknap; Gary Riedner; Moscow Vision 2020; Council; Bill Lambert; Don Palmer
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] URA independent of City Council

Mr. Steed -

My reference to Tammany Hall concerns the use of public funds (sans a public hearing), especially for a project such as this one with so much anticipated expense associated with it.

But, as you say, "I [You] have no knowledge of a cost of this project to Moscow tax payers; not to say there might not be.."

To put it simply, it appears that a city commission (MURA), whose staff consists of appointees (designated and affirmed by the city council) and two city council members, is free to spend public funds without accountability by the mayor or city council.

Tom Hansen

Moscow, Idaho

On Mar 4, 2015, at 9:32 AM, Walter M Steed <wmsteed at ci.moscow.id.us <mailto:wmsteed at ci.moscow.id.us> > wrote:

Tom, 

Thanks for the personal email this morning.  To answer your questions and inferences:

1) I have no knowledge of a cost of this project to Moscow tax payers; not to say there might not be...

2)  This will not go before the City Council unless Sangria's development proposal creates appeals related to zoning or building permit issues. 

3)  The people of Moscow can publicly air their comments during any Moscow City Council or URA public comment period, which is on every agenda of each entity's regular meetings.

4)  No, this isn't Tammany Hall.

See ya 'round too,

Walter Steed, Council Member 

City of Moscow

303 Samaritan Lane

Moscow  Idaho  83843

208/883-0123

  _____  

From: Tom Hansen [thansen at moscow.com <mailto:thansen at moscow.com> ]
Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2015 5:45 AM
To: Moscow Vision 2020
Cc: Walter M Steed
Subject: URA independent of City Council

Courtesy of today's (March 4, 2015) Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

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

Letter: URA independent of City Council

For the past several days I have been approached or called by citizens of Moscow regarding the then-pending offer to sell and develop the southwest corner of Jackson and Sixth streets (formerly the site of Otto's Produce). These persons wished to comment to a City Council member on the proposals that had been received regarding the future of this property.

I had to inform them that the property is owned by the Moscow Urban Renewal Agency, which had issued the Request for Proposals, and that the City Council had no say in development of the property (other than enforcement of zoning and building permit issues).

The URA is made up of city of Moscow mayoral appointees who are approved by the Council and while two Council members do, by definition, sit on that board, I, although a City Council member, am not one of them.

While writing this I understand the URA has now made its selection, which will probably be reported in this newspaper before this letter might appear. Any citizens who wish to comment or discuss that decision should contact URA board members or staff who can be found on their website at  <http://moscowura.com/> http://moscowura.com.

Walter Steed

Moscow

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

Mr. Steed -

As this item includes a hefty price tag to be paid by the Moscow tax payers . . .

When will this item go before the Moscow City Council?

If so, will the Moscow City Council permit the people of Moscow to publicly air their comments?

Sidebar: Although " . . . the property is owned by the Moscow Urban Renewal Agency, which had issued the Request for Proposals, and that the City Council had no say in development of the property (other than enforcement of zoning and building permit issues)", management of the Moscow Urban Renewal Agency is appointed by the mayor and city council, thus (in my opinion) making it (the MURA), along with the mayor and city council accountable for such action.

I mean . . . this isn't Tammany Hall . . . is it?

Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .

"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)

 <http://www.moscowcares.com/> http://www.MoscowCares.com

Tom Hansen

Moscow, Idaho

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