Entry 144 of 273
By Confounded in Christiansburg On June 11 at 4:07 AM
No Sunshine After All
On May 19, Planning Commissioner Wayne Booth recommended that the Town advertise the Planning Commssion seat that will come open in September 2008. (This opening will occur when Commissioner Jim VanHoozier finally gets to take his seat on Town Council, four months after being elected.) Mr. Booth chose to wait to make a motion on the matter until everyone on the Commssion was present.

At the time, the T’s thought that was a good sign – that the Town of Christiansburg (as represented by the Planning Commission) was ready to operate in the sunshine.

How wrong we were.

At the June 2 meeting, Mr. Booth made his motion about advertising the upcoming vacancy. Actually, it was watered-down, toothless version of the motion. The original idea to advertise was negated by the requirement that the Town Manager and staff do the interviewing and select the candidate to recommend to the Town Council.

In other words, same as it ever was.

Mr. Booth was, in effect, requesting that the Town Council shirk responsibility and simply do what Mr. Terpenny wants. Again. No mention of citizen input, no request for names of qualified candidates. Just another decision by the Town Manager.

Show Me the Money
At the June 3 Town Council meeting, Councilman Stipes proposed a reduction in the increase in BPOL taxes from 45¢ per $100 valuation to 39¢ per $100 valuation. That would leave a $45,000 hole in budget revenues. Besides the fact that the public never got to hear about the proposal, or comment on it, that move brings up another question.

Why the worry about a mere $45,000 loss in revenues? If the budgetary prowess of Christiansburg’s staff can magically eliminate a $2.6 million dollar deficit while adding new expenditures, surely they can come up with another measly $45,000.  Not to mention last year's unbudgeted significant salary increases granted to several of the town's top administrators.     

Of course finding the money to pay for the discussed audit of the Tourism Development Council may prove a challenge.

The Fox is Officially In Charge of the Chicken Coop
The June 3 FOIA “training,” was a review of information previously provided to (and seemingly disregarded by) folks who need it. This training was provided by Elizabeth Dillon, an attorney with Guynn, Memmer & Dillon. That’s the very law firm that never quite noticed all those unannounced meetings that have been going on for years.

Although Ms. Dillon’s presentation stated “The provisions of this chapter shall be liberally construed…” she conceded that Mr. Terpenny’s placement of paper notices of meetings on a bulletin board near his office complied with the letter of the law. Mr. Terpenny and Mayor Ballangee now share the responsibility for FOIA compliance. (Hum that song from “Jungle Book” but substitute the words “We'll do the barest minimums, the squeak-by barest minimums…”)

Note: Guynn, Memmer & Dillon’s historic lack of action on FOIA compliance in Christiansburg didn’t stop the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors from hiring Ms. Dillon to represent them on “….other routine matters that local governments face.” At $99,000 per year for 20 hours a week, double what the county's previous counsel earned. Go figure.