MASON CITY – Mason City’s mayor and city council were unable during this year’s budget cycle to provide the leadership necessary to make a decision on their own on whether to raise rates or fire employees in the city’s sanitation department.
Rather than call for a typical public forum – as they have in the past – to seek input from citizens, the mayor and council opted instead to disenfranchise thousands of citizens with no access to email or computers and sought feedback via email, feedback they said would shape their decision. This feedback would be hidden from public view, unlike a public forum, where all ideas would be aired for everyone to see and hear. Furthermore, the emails could be sent from anyone, even non-citizens. There is no way to tell if they are authentic. Persons could also create multiple email addresses and send a response from each one, thereby skewing the results.
In response to the secretive nature of Mason City government, NorthIowaToday.com sought all the email responses that were sent to the city of Mason City regarding the sanitation department issue. Citizens could select from one of four “options” and tell their elected officials how to govern (see those options below).
The city responded. They used 6 hours of staff time to print each email onto a separate piece of paper and then scan the hard copy back into a computer to create a very large PDF document. They also stripped all the names and email addresses out of the emails they received, and kept that data hidden.
NIT is providing the PDF document from the city for your download and viewing pleasure.
READ THE EMAILS HERE (18 MB file … may take several minutes to download)
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Option 1
Sanitation service will see a rate increase of $0.95 per month in FY 2016 and a rate increase of $0.45 per month in FY 2017. Two sanitation employees are retained and the service stays at the current level and method of pick up. The new revenue will allow the division to replace a truck each of the next five years.
Option 2
Sanitation service will see a rate increase of $0.10 per month in FY 2016 and a rate increase of $0.10 per month in FY 2017. Two sanitation positions are eliminated, reducing the number of trucks used in the non-winter months from three to two. With the reduction of one truck, the garbage routes will take longer to complete with the route being completed in the late afternoon. The savings from the reduction in employees will allow the division to replace a truck each of the next five years.
Option 3
Sanitation service will see a rate increase of $0.15 per month in FY 2016 and a rate increase of $0.15 per month in FY 2017. In addition to the general rate increase, the City will implement a charge of $0.40 per yard waste bag for this pick up. Stickers would be sold to adhere to each bag. Two sanitation employees are retained and the service stays at the current level and method of pick up. The new revenue will allow the division to replace three trucks over the next five years.
Option 4 (City selected this option)
Sanitation service will see a rate increase of $0.10 per month in FY 2016 and a rate increase of $0.10 per month in FY 2017. Two sanitation positions are eliminated reducing the number of trucks used in the non-winter months from three to two. The City will create two new swing worker positions that will split their time between Sanitation and another department. One swing worker will focus on Arborist work in dealing with trees that may be affected by the Emerald Ash Borer and the other swing worker will focus on work in the Water Department. With the reduction of one truck, the garbage routes will take longer to complete with the route being completed in the late afternoon. The addition of the swing workers however will allow additional staff to assist during high volume times such as fall yard waste needs. The department director would have the ability to shift the swing workers as needed to accomplish tasks. The savings from the reduction in sanitation employees and creation of swing worker positions will allow the division to replace a truck in four of the next five years.
Unfortunately, just like most politicians, the council asked for input just to say they asked for it. They knew what they were going to do and, of course, once again like most politicians, they think they know what is best and will do that regardless of the public opinion. I have seen it in politics, business and education. It is called top down management. To me, a good question to ask anyone who is elected or chosen for a position, what is your management style- top down or bottom up?
@bodacious-Good comments and very true.
I think the mayor’s style of governance is “bottoms up” … meaning put the open end of a bottle of any kind of intoxicant up to his puffy pink lips and tip the bottom of said booze bottle north, until the precious grain alcohol pours down his 12-inch-think neck and fills his potato-shaped gullet full. Only then is he ready to make judgements for the people of Mason City.
Why the heck did they even ask for input?
Looks like the vast majority of those respondents were for Option #1, yet the council goes with Option #4.
With the exception of Alex Kuhn who stayed true to his word.
Also with option #1, they would be able to get 5 new trucks in the next 5 years, but with option #4, they will only be able to get 4 new trucks.
The only council member worthy of respect is Alex Kuhn, the rest are weasels.
(My apologies to the real weasels out there)
@Samuel-I think they went with option four so they can come back for more reductions in manpower and another tax (fee) increase later on. Hickey and the mayor have a obvious vendetta against the sanitation department and the others are nothing but sheep following their leader. Only Kuhn has the guts to do what is right and I think that is because the council is just a stepping stone in his ambitions.
I think Alex Kuhn and John Lee are really the only council members who care about MC and the people. I’ve been disappointed that neither have been strong leaders, though. They meekly vote, on a rare occasion, out of line with the Four Puppets. It would be refreshing to see them really stand up to those clowns. I think they are capable of it. And by “stand up to”, I mean engage them in real, tough debate. Build your votes for something better. Engage the people of Mason City, ask them to get involved. Advance some better proposals. Be leaders.
Furthermore. I guarantee anyone reading this, both Mr. Kuhn and Mr. Lee know that the mayor is a piece of garbage. I’ve seen it in their faces, flashes of the truth. What is frustrating is, they let him lead them both around by the nose and make policy, run the city, and conspire with the Chamber of Commerce. They have allowed the council to be a secondary governing body. Bookmeyer only has power like he has because he simply TOOK IT and no one has the balls to say “sit down, shut up and run the meetings and make appointments, and that is all.”
After looking at the e-mails it sure looks like option #1 to me. Of course our city council really doesn’t care what the taxpayers want because they are so much smarter than we are.
Exactly. This whole fiasco was a sham to skew everything and do the people’s business inside the secrecy of an email server. A cowardly embarrassment and an affront to Democracy to say the very least. I feel sorry for the poor chap who had to print at least 195 emails, one by one, doctor each one by removing critical data, and then scan them back in. What lengths those fools go to just to protect themselves and their masters at 9 North Federal Avenue.