TOWN HALL MEETING BY CITY OF RICHMOND, CA. STAFF FROM WASTEWATER DISTRICT AND FINANCE VIEWED AS BOTH A FAILURE AND BIGGEST JOKE IN TOWN.

TOWN HALL MEETING BY CITY OF RICHMOND STAFF FROM WASTEWATER DISTRICT AND FINANCE VIEWED AS BOTH A FAILURE AND BIGGEST JOKE IN TOWN

By Mike (Ali) Raccoon Eyes Kinney

RICHMOND,CA- On March 31st, 2010 the City of Richmond's departments of Wastewater District and Finance held a informational hearing to explain to Richmond residents why their wastewater/ sewer rates would be hiked up to what is viewed within the community as both unfair and a taxpayer rip-off.

The town hall meeting was a disaster from the very outset. Some 75 people including The Committee of Native Families for the Safety of Our Children,who did attend said that the Finance Department failed to mail the notice in a timely fashion. Some attendees said they got nothing in the mail and only heard of word of mouth and others stated they had only received in the mail that very day.

While the meeting was to be held in the Bermuda Room of the Richmond Auditorium, scores of people who wanted to attend were locked out because there was no staff to admit people in to the building.

Numerous people were blown off by City Staff who had questions that were important to them with regards to the Sewer rate hike. City Staff was at a rush to deliver their power point presentation, they totally attempted a passive censorship to the audience's questions.

At this point the people in the audience be highly upset and angry with City Staff from both Wastewater and Finance for their attempts of ignoring and blowing off their questions.

All hell then broke loose, the angry crowd started demanding answers to questions. Staff was now catching the brunt of the chaos and confusion of a very badly planned and ill-prepared town hall meeting.

Some individuals walked out protesting and cursing Staff's failure to answer questions.

People pointed out numerous times the Sewer fee hike would produce economic hardship and there was a strong sense people would sell their homes because they could not afford more tax burdens upon them.

Staff was both uncaring and indifferent to what citizens had to say at that point about homes up for sale.

People in the crowd rallied their collective contempt for the failure of the power presentation to again answer their questions.

At this point the crowd simply started to leave, both angry and diappointed that they had nothing to show for this badly-planned and ill-prepared town hall meeting.


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