Local News
Pekin council to increase to seven
Times staff writer
PEKIN - In one of the lengthiest, most in-depth discussions in recent memory, the Pekin City Council approved an ordinance Monday to increase the number of council members from four to six - seven counting the mayor.
The council voted 4-1 to increase it membership with Councilman Daryl Dagit voting no. In a surprising move, Councilman Tom Blanchard backed down from his position against the increase, saying that Mayor Frank Mackaman and Councilman Bill Maddox made a convincing argument for the change.
The new members will be elected in the spring 2007 election.
The purpose of the increase, said Mackaman, is to enable two council members to speak about city business without violating the Open Meetings Act. Under a five-member council, three members are a quorum and two the majority of a quorum, so two could not speak about city business under the Open Meetings Act. With a council of seven, four is a quorum and three the majority of a quorum.
In preparation for the discussion, Mackaman had issued a prepared statement in support of the increase citing other boards who have seven members or more, such as Pekin District 108 and Pekin District 303, and organizations and businesses, such as the YWCA, CEFCU and Pekin Hospital.
Mackaman had said that under the Open Meetings Act, the council was greatly restricted in conducting business.
“The opportunity to clarify intent, to ask a quick question as it occurs to you, to get context for an upcoming discussion - we don't have that on a five-person council under the Open Meetings Act,” he said. “These are opportunities that cannot be replicated in a meeting.”
Blanchard took issue with several of Mackaman's statements. He said that businesses and organizations are not required to share information with the public and that it has been a council priority in the past to be open with the public.
“We're elected by the public because we have gained their trust to make good decisions on their behalf,” said Blanchard. “The deliberations and conversations on any given issue should be made in a public forum for several reasons - to ensure the public that no shady deals have taken place (and) to ensure there is no outcome to an issue before it is brought to the public meetings.
“The public sees and hears all conversations, deliberations and debates that ultimately leads to a vote on the issue. By doing the above, it helps to inform and make the public understand issues most clearly that we are contemplating.”
Maddox said that open discussion rarely changes a person's mind, so it would appear that council members' minds are made up before they come to the meetings. “So why have the discussion in the first place?” he asked.
“My contention is that a truly open-minded individual will change their mind if presented with facts and not necessarily opinions,” Maddox said. “Š My mind has been changed on decisions by listening to other members of the council. And I would hope that no one on this council would come in and say, ‘Don't confuse me with facts, my mind is made up.'”
The government transparency obligation, said Mackaman, can be addressed with competent people on the council.
“That's why I said in my statement that capable people can trump bad processes, but good processes can overcome incapable people,” he said. “I'm not suggesting that representation can eliminate the opportunity to do evil. I agree with Commissioner Maddox that that opportunity exists whether you have three, five, seven, nine (or) 150.”
Blanchard said the $10,000 cost for two new councilmen was minimal, but that council members also get reimbursements for travel, hotels, meals, etc., and for conventions and seminars. Council member Daryl Dagit agreed that there was no need to spend the money.
Dagit referred to a document to which Mackaman often refers: the conceptual plan the mayor spearheaded.
The plan states under the “Values” heading that the council should be transparent, open and honest. Under the plan, the city is supposed to be fiscally responsible and avoid even the appearance of impropriety. He said he did not support a 1/4 cent sales tax increase earlier this year. Now electric rates are increasing 55 percent, “so $10,000 is a lot of money.”
“We don't run the day-to-day operations of the city,” he said. “The city manager does. If anyone needs any help, it's him.”
Mackaman said he could not believe that $10,000 was an issue when better representation was the main issue.
“It seems to me that the objections to increasing the size have to do with primarily two areas - one is with cost and the second is this issue of transparency of government,” he said. “Frankly I'm baffled by the, ‘it costs too much' argument.
“It's incomprehensible to me that somebody would refuse to spend $10,000 to save many more dollars than that by scrutinizing the budget and our governmental processes with the help of two additional people who have been elected by their peers. Š I don't look at this as a cost, I look at it as an investment in expertise.”