Tag Archives: city of Hemet

Hemet Taxpayers Association eliminated health benefits for council members and instituted term limits

19 Apr

Back in 2010, the Hemet Taxpayers Association asserted themselves and actually got two ballot measures passed – at more than 75 % approval.  It cost them about $7,000. I know, I’d rather buy my own ice cream truck for that kind of money, but it might be worth it to pass the hat around for something like this: (from  City of Hemet Ca,    http://www.cityofhemet.org/      under Municipal Code )

(See Sec. 2-36. Salary of members)

Initiative measure limiting health benefits for elected officials. The city shall not pay for, fund, or otherwise contribute to, the premiums, charges, fees or other costs of health benefits made available by the city to elected city officials either during their term or after their term of office. This measure shall only affect city officials elected to office after October 1994. Nothing in this measure shall prohibit the city from making health benefits that are generally available to other city employees also available to elected city officials during or after his/her term of office, provided that such health benefits are provided at the sole cost of the elected city official. City ordinances, resolutions, or policies, or portions thereof, in effect as of the date referenced below, that are inconsistent or in conflict with this measure shall be deemed repealed and no longer of any effect to the extent necessary to harmonize such documents with this measure. This measure shall take effect at the conclusion of the general election held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, and shall continue thereafter.

(Ord. No. 142; Code 1984, § 2005; Ord. No. 1521, § 1, 6-13-95; Ord. No. 1576, § 2, 1-23-98; Ord. No. 1618, § 1, 6-27-00; Ord. No. 1672, § 1, 8-13-02; Ord. No. 1715, §§ 1, 2, 5-11-04; Ord. No. 1764, § 1, 7-11-06; Res. No. 4369, § 2, 7-27-10 (passed by voters 11-2-10))

(Sec. 2-37. Initiative measure establishing term limits for elected officials.)

During their lifetime no person shall serve, whether by means of election or appointment, more than three terms of office as a city councilmember, as the treasurer, or as any other elected city official. This term limit shall be applied separately to each different type of elected office held. A partial term of office shall be considered to be a full term where more than one-half of the regular term of office has been served. This measure shall apply prospectively, taking effect as to terms commencing in 2012 and thereafter.

(Res. No. 4368, § 2, 7-27-10 (passed by voters 11-2-10))

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Finance Committee to take up Section 908 – will Jennifer Hennessy do her job? What does the new city manager think?

27 Aug

I don’t know how many people are available for an 8am meeting Downtown, but tomorrow morning the Finance Committee will take up the issue of Jennifer Hennessy not complying with Section 908 of the Chico City Code. 

908 says that the Finance Director is supposed to give a current update regarding our budget, just like you do every month with your check book. You see what you’ve taken in, and you see what’s gone out. It should all be there, so you don’t get in trouble with your finances! Heck! You wouldn’t want to write rubber checks – Mike Ramsey will slap you in jail for that! 

The city of Chico is in a deep amount of deficit-doo right now because Hennessy hasn’t been making these reports. The only reports she will make are “after the fact” – by the time she tells us anything, we’re already in trouble. And the reports she gives are never clear – she spends hours on these ridiculous “power point presentations,” with little cartoon figures and charts and graphs, without ever really telling us exactly how much money has come in and where it’s gone. We just see budgets – like Scott Gruendl said, “budgets are a fairy tale…”. They’re speculative, imagined, hoped-for,  but rarely achieved. And Hennessy announces so many budget changes due to “unexpected downturns” that it’s hardly worth the paper to even write the damned things. 

I’d frankly rather have a neat little accounting of what she’s taken in for each fund every month, and what’s  she’s spent. She won’t give us these details – leaving a suspicious person to speculate that she is doing something inappropriate with the money. 

The state parks department was funneling money into a secret fund that was being used to buy state worker’s unused vacation time. I’m sorry, but until Hennessy tells us what’s going on, I’m a suspicious person.

So, if you have the time tomorrow morning, that’s 8am, at City Hall, in the little conference room off the main chamber. There’s speculation that new city manager Brian Nakamura will make an appearance, I’ll keep you posted. I can only stay half an hour cause I got a dentist appointment. Yeah, I saw Marathon Man too, Stop It! 

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