Council 12.03.2007

[Stan Austin]

Council’s Triple Play

It’s a new season, a new council, and a new administration and Lakewood City Council will execute a triple play. It will organize itself, appoint a new member, and make a budget.

That was in the back of the minds of council members as they rode out the clock at the December 3, 2007 meeting. President Robert Seelie called the meeting to order at 7:30 PM.

Nationwide actions of multinational corporations can trickle down to the local level. The AT&T Corporation is getting out of the pay telephone business. So many people use cellular phones now that the pay phone is no longer profitable to the company according to news reports. This means that the pay phone which is used by prisoners in the Lakewood jail needs a new operator. Global Tel Link will take over service of that phone in a contract approved by council.

But, it is the 2008 budget that is commanding the attention of this departing council because actions taken now will affect the new council’s budgeting process. Each year, a budget is prepared as required by state law. This has to be done by March 31. In order to operate the city in the first three month period, council in December usually approves a ninety day budget. However, during this year’s campaign for Mayor and the ward council seats, the prospect of increasing demands on the budget combined with only modestly increasing revenues was a prime issue. Therefore, this council wants to leave the next council and administration quicker control over the 2008 budget. It is doing this by approving a forty-five day budget that will allow the new lawmakers the ability to fashion a budget that more conforms with the fiscal concerns expressed during the campaign.

The next play in the triple play is organization. From the Lakewood City Charter – “The President and Vice President of council shall each be elected by a majority vote of Council. The member of Council present who has the longest consecutive tenure of office shall preside over the organizational meeting until the President of Council is elected.â€Â