County amends Wednesday’s meeting agenda

October 05, 2009

The Valencia County Commission today twice amended its agenda for Wednesday’s meeting, including changes to action concerning the tax election citizens successfully compelled after submitting petition signatures.

Late last week, one or more county commissioners added an item to the commission’s meeting agenda calling for a repeal of the correctional facility gross receipts tax approved by a 3-2 vote of the commission in July.

A repeal of the ordinance could cancel the election citizens have sought.

The action item seeking a repeal of the ordinance, which will be introduced by County Clerk Sally Perea, according to the agenda, is still on the agenda.

The agenda, however, now includes an item for consideration of approving a resolution calling for an election.

It unclear why the changes have occurred.

At the last commission meeting, the agenda was similarly amended multiple times, with the agenda items for discussion of a hospital settlement added, then removed, then again added to the agenda.

At a meeting a couple of months ago, Commissioner Ron Gentry questioned the county’s practice of amending agendas after they had been published in the Valencia County News-Bulletin. Citizens most often find out what will be discussed at a commission meeting by reading the paper.

The county has continued to amend agendas after publishing them in the paper, which is allowed by state law.

Some citizens have a loose network for distributing agendas to one another when it’s originally released and if any amendments are made to keep up with the frequent amendments.

Posted in: Reform