City must tend to its business

Published 5:08 pm Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Several months ago the Auburn City Council chose to eliminate its council committees process in favor of two study sessions per month.

A March 9 study session was cancelled because councilmembers attended a National League of Cities convention in Washington, D.C.

In the first two months of 2015, our City has spent $836.91 sending councilmembers to meetings outside City Hall. Members are paid $50 a meeting, up to four per month, plus travel expenses. Some meetings include a meal.

I’m not surprised that at the March 16 general council meeting a couple of members wanted more time to review a resolution before voting to approve it.

The “stunner” was when the mayor was only going to allow people to speak in “audience participation” if they had signed a roster before the meeting.

I had to ask our city attorney to intervene on my behalf.

As we move close to elections of councilmembers in November, I am becoming more alarmed at the prospect of having a couple of councilmembers reelected who seem more interested in getting paid for meetings and events outside City Hall than doing the work inside Auburn that is intended to serve the public, and a mayor who is unsure of the intent of the Washington state “open meetings act.”

– Virginia Haugen