HARRISON: Call for openness

I own property in the city of Harrison and I am concerned that the local government is working to keep residents in the dark concerning fees and taxes.

A budget hearing was scheduled for early August but was delayed until Aug. 28, 2012. I requested a copy of the proposed budget prior to the hearing but was told it was not ready. When I finally did receive a copy of the budget it was incomplete, not balanced and did not include the Enterprise (utility) fund at all. How could a citizen comment at a hearing on a budget that was not made available to review?

On Nov. 6, 2012, the City Council approved a fee schedule that included a 5 percent increase to utility rates. The meeting was improperly noticed because the agenda was not posted 48 hours in advance of the meeting. City Hall claims it was posted in plenty of time but it was not on their bulletin board the weekend prior to the meeting.

The law states that an increase of more than 5 percent and new fees require a hearing. Increasing the fee exactly 5 percent is a way to exclude the public from commenting or even knowing about the increase. The city also raises property taxes every year by claiming the permitted 3 percent budget increase through the county. The mayor and council of Harrison need to be open and above board in their actions; and they are not.

JANN PATTERSON

Hayden