DES MOINES – Calling the matter an “extremely important issue”, the Iowa Public Information Board continues to investigate secret, closed door budget meetings perpetrated by the Mason City council and Mayor Eric Bookmeyer.
A Mason City man, Michael Servantez, filed a complaint against the mayor and council for holding secret budget hearings as they struggled to put together a budget for 2016. The elected officials eventually had to ask the public for guidance on at least one issue – sanitation rates – and resorted to closed door meetings to patch together the next city budget.
The city fell back on the “legal advice” of its hourly-paid attorney, Randy Nielsen, who “ruled” that the secret meetings which barred the public were fine to proceed with. Nielsen also “ruled” that hiding information from emails sent to city officials was just fine, as well.
The board has now deferred the issue for a second time as it investigates and ponders an outcome. In a document provided to NorthIowaToday.com, the board says that the legal issues in this case “impact all levels of government”.
The complaint has been deferred until the board’s May meeting, in order to “give additional thought and input on this extremely important issue”.
“This case involves very complex issues that impact state, city, and school boards and needs to be handled in a deliberative manner,” said Charlie Smithson, Executive Director of the Iowa Public Information Board.
I’m not certain, but would a committee be in violation of the Open Meeting laws if it doesn’t or can’t take any action? Since the committee itself can’t approve and or adopt the budget by itself, is there a problem. While holding these clandestine meetings doesn’t look right and in my opinion, is using poor judgment, it also seems to build another layer of mistrust with the public and those who are looking to fuel that fire in the first place.
There is no question that Hickey and Bookmeyer plan this little secret meeting to get what they wanted. Now its up to this board or the rest of the elected council to stand up against these two bullies. Punch these two punks in the mouth and watch them run.
I don’t think either of them could make it to the end of the block. Maybe as a two-man relay team they could.
I hope the penalty is jail time, but it will probably be a fine that the city will pay.
Glad someone at the state level is investigating Bookmeyer and his “team”. They need to know that they are not above the laws and cannot do as they want.