It’s time for some cheers.
Not the hip-hip-hooray type of cheer, but time for watermelon cheers. The first watermelon cheer goes to...the Sherwood City Council for spending money like it is the federal government. The main difference is that the feds can print up more, Sherwood can’t. This year, the council has voted to spend $300,000 to revitalize the North Hills golf course, just over $100,000 for salaries for the golf superintendent and four other course employees, on top of $200,000 that was stolen from city funds.
All this money was taken from the city’s $2 million reserve fund. That still looks like there’s a lot left for emergencies, but a big downturn in taxes or lawsuit settlement, and poof, it’s all gone.
The second watermelon cheer goes to...the Jackson-ville’s City Council. In Gary Fletcher’s first council meeting as mayor, the council quickly shoved through a motion to put John Ferrell into Fletcher’s vacant council seat. The motion and second came so quickly, Fletcher didn’t even have time to look up a date on the calendar that he was going to suggest for voting on his council replacement.
What was the rush?
Ferrell didn’t even show up at the next council meeting after his appointment. He was locked into vacation plans that couldn’t be changed. So why did he have to be appointed right away — when the item was on the agenda for discussion only, and five other residents had sent in letters of interest and resumes?
In keeping with this paper’s policy of fairness, Alderman Terry Sansing did vote against Ferrell’s appointment as if it were an emergency.
Ah, the dog days of summer.