City council rejects proposal

The city council rejected a proposal for "review and reorganization" of the city's local boards and commissions 6-3 in its meeting Wednesday at City Hall. \nThe ordinance, proposed by councilmen Jason Banach, R-II, and David Sabbagh, R-V, would require all the local boards and commissions to be reviewed by the council every four years. \nStatutory boards would not be covered under this ordinance, according to the first of two amendments proposed by Sabbagh. The second amendment spread the review proposal over four years instead of having all the boards and commissions reviewed at once. Both the amendments were passed before the ordinance was voted down.\n"I do not think it is good legislation … It's as simple as that," said council member Tim Mayer, D-At Large. \nSabbagh said he stood behind his legislation.\n"I think the ordinance should be passed and I hope that everyone present will change their mind in the next two minutes and vote in favor of it," he said before the vote.\nCouncilman Anthony Pizzo, R-At Large, who abstained from voting on the first amendment and voted against the second amendment and the ordinance itself, said a similar "sunrise" ordinance had been implemented earlier. \n"At the end of four years, they found it was a waste of time, and repealed it," he said. "I predict the same with this ordinance if it is accepted."\nSabbagh said the ordinance was a way of keeping council members informed about what was going on in the various boards. \n"It is necessary, not only for us but for the public," he said. "There needs to be more active interaction than a ton of paper in our mailboxes."\nMost council members denied that is the case.\nCouncil President Patricia Cole, D-I, said most of the work done on these boards is by volunteers, people "who put in their very best." She said there are excellent and detailed reports and calendars made available to the council and to the public. All the meetings of these boards are open to the public as well, she said.\n"Anyone who is interested in finding out more, should go to one of the meetings," she said. \nAndy Ruff, D-At Large, commended Sabbagh for the amount of time and effort he had put into the ordinance and for coming up with the amendments to plug any loopholes. \n"But I am not comfortable with the ordinance itself and I do not think it is necessary, so I am going to vote against it," he said.\nSabbagh said he was disappointed that the council members were not ready to accept the ordinance. \nThose who voted against the ordinance were Pizzo, Mayer, Ruff, Gaal, Michael Diekoff and Cole. Sabbagh, Banach and Jeffrey Willsey voted in favor.