NEWS ARCHIVE

(Clinton) -- Mayor says some Clinton council members appeared surprised by the stricter amendments proposed and adopted

Clinton Mayor Rodger Holm says he has asked the burning ordinance adopted by the council with the stricter amendments to be considered for the second and third readings at separate meetings to insure there is more time for input and discussions.

At the meeting Tuesday evening-council member Mike Kearney proposed amendments to the ordinance that restricted burning more than the original proposals. Those amendments banned the use of burning barrels, limited recreational burns from 10 A-M to 10 P-M and banned the burning of leaves and other yard waste.

Each amendment was approved 4 to 3 with Kearney, Bev Herman, Jennifer Graf and Charlie Mulholland voting in favor. The amended ordinance was adopted at the first reading by the same 4 to 3 split.

On the K-R-O-S * F-Y-I show Mayor Rodger Holm said that a council committee had discussed the issue over a period of time and came forward with a proposal and he would have preferred the amendments would have been handled at the committee level. He said some of the council members seemed to know the amendments were coming and others did not. The mayor had some concerns about the transparency of this situation and wanted to make sure there was time for citizen input and council discussion in a public venue. He says he wants to make sure no one is ever taken by surprise again.

There has some talk of filing a petition under the Home Rule Charter to have a public vote on the ordinance and while Holm says they are looking into that option, he hopes it is not needed. The mayor says more discussion in public about the issue may prevent that option.

While conceding that one council member can talk to another member and not violate an open meetings law, Holm wants to have the council work with the attitude that if one member knows something-they all know it.

Written 3/11/2010 by Dave Vickers - KROS News

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