12/17/2024
C-O editorial
THE TOWN HALL MEETING: Impressions on a remarkable event
By Mark McLaughlin
Editor, Citizen-Observer
It’s time to break down just what we saw and heard last night and where the City of Cameron goes from here. INPUTS AND MY IMPRESSIONS.
1)---A tremendous amount of credit goes to City Manager Steve Rasmussen, Mayor Becky Curtis, and the members of the City Council for hearing the concerns of the community and submitting to a public forum. All involved knew that the proceeding would be impassioned, sometimes quite emotional and that at some point, individuals in the group were going to be called out for things. There were some hard moments, some intense dialogue, and I believe the most important outcome of the night … The Council has the community on the record and in significant numbers, on what they think, and what the city should consider doing. I kept thinking to myself that it was like a really intense group therapy session…even an intervention.
2)---The group had a default “thought stream” coming in. Was the City just trying to pacify the people, having already made up their minds what to do, or was the proceeding going to actually make a difference? Some suspicion arose when Building Inspector Michael Calderone gave a summary of what the $405,000 engineering study uncovered, what needed to be fixed with the existing building, and a timeline for how to proceed. People had the first impression that the City already had “Option A”, restoring City Hall, as their default position. I believe that Calderone, and City staff proceeded in the only way they could, given the information they had, and what their charge was. If their job was to figure out what to do next, they certainly did that…IF, and only if, that was the decided-upon option or the only one they had to go on. I don’t think, as of 18 hours out from the meeting, that restoring the existing building is the only option.
3)---Option 2: Convert the Cameron Community Center into a working City Hall, either as a temporary option, thereby relieving the city of the $7,500 a month rent paid to Bank Midwest for their current offices, OR, put money into renovating the building, largely untouched and in need of updates, and make it the City’s permanent home. One note is that the Community Building has 9,000 square feet of working space, versus City Hall’s 17,000 square foot expanse. According to Rasmussen, 15 staff people work in City Offices on a daily basis. While this may not be palatial in comparison to City Hall, it may be a functional, workable space. Police Chief Dan Allen’s note that the City Dispatch requires a “bunker style” space capable of withstanding an EF-5 tornado is a bit of a turd in the punchbowl on this option. Is that doable in that space? Yes, even if in adjacent space to the Community Center already owned by the City. Will it cost money? Yes. Will it cost 3 million dollars? Most likely not. Is the space currently being used to its fullest advantage? No, pulling in just $13,000 in rent in the last year would suggest that basic utilities would cost more than it is bringing in. At least the City owns the building.
Option 3: Build a new steel, “Morton-style” building to house City Hall. Suggestions are to raze the current City Hall Building or sell it and either find an accommodating space in the existing parking lot across from City Hall, or, after demolition, erect the new building on the existing City Hall space. Plenty of similar buildings used for similar purposes exist in the area and in like-sized communities. Comments were very consistent on the idea that we don’t need bells and whistles, elegant courtyards, porches, winding sidewalks, or a monument to Frank Lloyd Wright. Will that cost $3 million dollars? Likely not.
A frustration of the Council, most eloquently if confusingly stated by Councilman John Breckenridge is that municipal government doesn’t function the way private business does in constructing buildings for its purposes.
Engineering studies, costing a lot, are a reality any city will face. Steps are required in the process that forces cities to deeply and transparently study and release results to the community before moving forward on expenditures and appropriations.
Wal-Mart may build a new store, but they don’t have to assess a new building tax to do so. That may be the case here, but not mentioned last night was Economic Development Director Lance Rains mission to sell 359 acres of the Cameron Business Industrial Park to developers to “make liquid” that $5.5 million asset.
We all need to keep our eyes on Lance. My feeling? The dude makes magic on this kind of thing. Don’t forget that Rains was the person behind not just rebuilding Pattonsburg after its devastating tornado, but he moved the entire town.
Yes…Moved it…homes, businesses, the school, all of it when the old location of the community was largely destroyed.
Who can do that?
The next emotion and finding of the evening was how intensely the community felt about the importance of the City doing annual inspections on its assets to assure that this doesn’t happen again.
What occurred over the last 15 years, the neglect, the missed signs, the can-kickus-down-the-roadus of previous City governments, can’t happen again.
My suggestion…Why not make Paul Beckwith, the former building inspector, the “City Ombudsman” or “People’s Advocate” and make his ONLY job to have an eagle eye on every resource the City owns. That, if Beckwith can’t be persuaded to run for Council.
I’ve been married 38 years, so get Beckwith’s assertion that his wife would kill him or throw him out if he sought office. Make him part of the executive branch.
Mrs. Beckwith…can Paul come out to play?
There were many people who came to the meeting last night, most of whom were in the 50-years or older age range. There weren’t a ton of Gen X, Y, Z folks in the crowd.
These people were people who had lived here a long time, essentially given their life to the City, and feel let down by what they have seen happen. Some feel they have been lied to. Some are certain that they are being gaslighted and that last night’s session was a mirage.
They have a lifetime of "skin in the game".
I visited the local “Cameron Brain Trust” coffee klatch this morning at our local grocery. All folks, except one, my age or older. Steve Rasmussen came to share with them and get their input on what was shared last night.
These “seasoned folks” spoke from the heart. “We don’t need fancy…expensive…overdone” in city hall.” We need a place to pay our bills and for city staff to get their work done…period.
When given a chance for a show of hands, though I couldn’t see everyone, perhaps Reed-Hibler was the only one with an interest in going all in on the existing building. Hands were shown in favor of using the Community Center or building a new Morton Building. Some didn’t declare their intentions.
My strong belief isn’t that the City Council just needs to decide what they do and move on, they need some kind of physical survey input from the community.
My suggestion…Mail a survey to every citizen in the community. Lay out the options as A) restore the current building B) repurpose the Community Center, C) Build a new Morton Building, and offer comments for details.
Projecting costs is hard to do without resourcing, getting a referendum on the ballot would take too much work and too much time.
But in general terms, given those options and space for anything additional, that could be done, returned to the City before the next Council meeting, and the Council given some input from the minds of the people.
The city cannot afford to m**f the opportunity they have given the community and the chance the community may grudgingly give to them, to give them a chance to come up with a financially feasible, responsible option, and a path to move forward that assures the waste, mismanagement, and failures never happen again.
Don’t screw it up, folks. If you do, the people will never TRUST YOU AGAIN.
