In regards to your first objective… I think it is reasonable that you ask those types of questions.  But I also think you should ask yourself this… why should the city get to sit back and provide nothing, but reap all the benefits?  TIF is a pretty common thing used all across the country and in the rest of the world.  The whole purpose of it is to encourage develepment.

As for your suggestion to slow down development…. this has already been going on for how many years now and still has many more to go.  How long exactly do you want this to last?

Have you considered what happens if the city stops contributing and the developer pulls out?  The developer is currently paying millions in debt on behalf of the city are they not?  If DEC pulled out…. the city would have to start paying that debt again?  Or find a third developer at that point to take all the risk because the city doesn't want to help.

Your second objective is basically just to prove a point that you have power or to get some revenge on what some council members told the news in the past?  Tell me I didn't just read that.  You should be less concerned about what some PAC is doing and more concerned about the city.  That is just politics.  That PAC failed to even get enough signatures to support their movement 2 years ago.

Why did you send the email to the news?

Mr. Mayor,

Can you please provide the specific rules in which you make the following 2 claims:

1.  The 3 ways that an item on an agenda (.
2.  The mayor can reject any agenda item for any reason

You claim those to be true, but what backs that up?

The rules of council referenced by Starline seem to back up his claim that the mayor has no such authority.  Section N of the document below.

I have to agree with Starline's conclusion unless you can back up your claims.  All that document says is the Clerk of Council is responsible (consulting with city manager and presiding officer) or an item can be compelled by 3 council members.

If the council itself doesn't want this "requirement", which doesn't seem to be anything official, why make such a big deal about it?

If you think the lack of a read aheads waste the council's time… then that is their choice.  It is their own time they are wasting.  The few public people who attend the meetings don't seem to care.  They probably get more information out of it the way it is, because they have to hear all the clarifications.

This website theme has great potential especially since it is open source and free but I can see I'll need help to make it work. If you believe in the vision and you can write code for a website as sophisticated as this contact me. As useful as this site seems it loads pretty slow so if you know of another open source theme that does the same things contact me.
Also, I think if there are 8 of us willing to rotate through the committee meetings and then write about the key events we can improve this city. Contact me if you are interested.

Finally, if you have pictures of City events, construction, public areas or services I'd like to show them. Send them to me and I'll incorporate them into the site. Tom McMasters