Arkansas City City Commission could tweak its meetings

The Arkansas City City Commission's move to adjust an ordinance relating to animals is not that big of a deal at all. Someone was commenting on it recently.
Over time things need to be adjusted as they come to light. The current ordinance does not differentiate between pets and livestock, so they are going to fix that.
There really isnt that much interesting on the agenda for next Tuesday.
Something coming down the pike though, that I that I think is interesting is how the public is allowed to talk at meetings. I have been around a lot of city commissions in different places, and I have to say the Arkansas City City Commission is pretty open.
They have traditionally let people speak in the middle of a regular meeting while they are discussing an issue. There is also the period at the beginning where you can talk about things not on the agenda. To me this is confusing and not orderly. I know there was a recent meeting where the mayor did not let people talk - he said later that they had an opportunity earlier and did not speak. That is the problem with the current system I believe, it is not orderly and so there can be abuse on either side. An opponent  of something could block it forever by filibustering in essence.
The city attorney has given the commission a set of guidelines or recommendations from the state municipal league. It would change the process a bit and make it more streamlined. They are still discussing this at worksession meetings. Not sure when it will come up for a vote.
There are many solutions. You could let people speak at the beginning about items on the agenda, or even at the beginning of discussion of the issue. You could even have a public hearing.
In South Carolina, for instance, you have to have 3 meetings to pass anything. You announce the ordinance at the first meeting and vote on whether or not to move ahead. The second meeting is a public hearing, and the third meeting is the final vote. Takes a lot longer but there is more public discussion usually.
Not advocating that here, but maybe tweaking the system a bit would be a good thing.

Hospital going

The bonds for construction of a new hospital were nearly sold out today. The city got an interest rate of 6.7 percent, which is not great but was better than some thought it might be.
Out of $23 million in bonds, all but a few hundred thousand are sold, so if you want to buy any, you better hurry.
The Public Building Commission meets at 6:30. They are expected to approve the sale that was completed this morning.
At tonight's regular meeting, which starts at 7, the city is expected to hire the engineering firm to start that process.
Construction should be well underway by the end of the year.

New Hospital

Good morning.
The cop notes are posted.
The city passed the measure approving the sale of bonds for a new hospital at its meeting last night. It was a huge step. They also gave final approval to the budget for 2010.
A new hospital for Arkansas City is all but a reality since it passed through three meetings last night at city hall.
The city commission approved the sale of the bonds - $24 million worth - at its meeting Monday. Earlier in the day the measure was approved by the public building commission and the hospital board.
The sale of bonds must be given final approval August 18, and the bonds can be sold at that time.
The new hospital has been in the works for 13 years, but this is as close as they have been. They had a deal, and actually broke ground, in 2006 with a company called CoVista, but that deal eventually fell through.
The current strategy calls for the current hospital to build a new medical center north of Arkansas City.
The bonds will initially be sold at 6.9 percent. City Manager Steve Archer said local people may buy the bonds. If anyone is interested they should contact Archer.
The payments will range from $1.4 million to $1.8 million per year. Hospital officials said they are confident they can make the payments.
They said they should be able to make the payments even without the sales tax approved by voters last year, but that money will help them in case there is a need.
See the whole story here