The Feb. 12 Echo Journal carried a notice that the Pequot Lakes City Council had agreed to hire a consultant association out of Faribault for $2,500 to determine if our city needs a city administrator or other options.
I called city hall and spoke to Sandy Peine, city clerk. She said the date of the meeting with the consultant is 6 p.m. Tuesday.
I asked her if this meeting date would be published in the Echo. The answer was no; there was no need to. My question to her at the time, and now to the council is, if you're contemplating hiring a city administrator - and I'm sure the cost will be between $80,000 to $100,000 - why wouldn't you want the taxpayers to be aware of this meeting?
The city clerk told me this meeting is open to the public. Again, I told her that to me, a notice in the paper would be important. She said at that time Mayor Sjoblad would get back to me about why the meeting date wouldn't be published. I haven't heard a word from him!
To me, it looks like they're trying to fly this one in under the radar.
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My thoughts are, why wouldn't you have an open meeting and invite the local residents who are the taxpayers - I know we have some very knowledgeable people who live in the community - and hear their thoughts? I'm sure we have a better understanding of what the city needs are, rather than get some consultant or administrator from outside who have all the papers hanging on the wall that say how intelligent they are, and telling us our needs. The Pequot City Council since 2001 had expensive taste. This will only add to it.
Jack Schmidt
Pequot Lakes
