Editor, Ceres Courier,

Our city council is not perfect. No one is. It’s our job to help guide them towards the right decisions with either compliments or constructive criticism. I try to alternate between the two and hereby share three semi-refreshing outcomes from the recent special City Council meeting:

1. It was refreshing to hear the council admit to their mistake of attempting to fill a vacancy without offering the position to the public and attempt to rectify the issue so it never happens again.

2. It was refreshing to see the council narrowly avoid another terrible decision. For a second, it looked as if the attack on the public’s ability to provide input through meetings was under attack again when the mayor suggested bringing the public comment period down to three minutes, rather than five.  

3. It was refreshing to hear the council hint towards a crackdown on committee appointee absenteeism. 

Among the positive outcomes, the most crucial is the council’s inclination to address committee appointee absenteeism. This proactive stance has the potential to significantly enhance the purpose or mission statements of all committees by allocating only dedicated members. 

Conversely, chronic absenteeism, or lack of interest in committees like the Tuolumne River committee, not only hampers progress but, in extreme cases, can be detrimental to the city. An illustrative example is the committee’s counterproductive decision to grant more land to a garbage dump, undermining the purpose of their mission and affecting the well-being of the community with the unpleasant garbage dump odor. 

I look forward to hearing updates from beefed-up committees. 

Alvaro Franco,

Ceres

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