Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Letters To The Editor

Dear Editor,

The decision of the Prescott City Council's committee's regarding the proposed landfill may not be wrong. However, the process the city took is another example of the twisted logic that befuddles the advancement of the community.

A correct decision on potentially controversial issues can best be reached by gathering the public at a meeting, presenting the facts and letting the people voice their concerns. If the majority of the public can agree with issues and ways of minimizing concerns, then the decision can be made to go forward with proposals. If there is no feasible ways to remedy concerns the decision must be to stop the proposal.

Handing off a decision to a committee is merely invoking a predetermined decision. There is no public opinion with a committee. There is a "rubber stamp".

For decades the city of Prescott has made stupid decisions, most of which evolve, because the city does not have a solid, written, publicly promoted plan of progress. What are the goals for the community? What must be done to reach those goals? What is the timetable for the actions and how they will be funded? Concerning industrial development, what is the will of the people for the types of industry desired and the types, if any, of industry to which the public is opposed? If the public helps create this plan, everyone can work toward it and make this community prosperous once again.

Such a plan requires the public's faith and trust. The city is losing that faith and trust, because it is hiding things. Decisions behind closed doors must be stopped. The true finances and reserves of the city must be revealed. The city cannot hide where it's spending money, where it's receiving money and the identities of who is depriving the city of revenues under the guise of "past due accounts". The city government must remember that the public owns the city. Everything the city does, including utilities, is public and the public has the right to know.

If the kind of logic displayed in this decision continues, the city's next task must be to stop spending taxpayers' money for development. Abandon the industrial park. Stop supporting job creation. Continue the same methods used for decades in the electrical, water, sewer, street, drainage, zoning and other sub-standard service infrastructures and allow utilities to price gouge the public. Without a plan, this is the plan.

If the City wants a ghost town, get moving and get the job done quickly! Acquire the rest of the business district and bulldoze the buildings. Otherwise, make the necessary adjustments. Unless this is done, there won't be any new jobs in this community. There won't be any additional housing. There won't be anyone.

Dorothy Hendrix

Prescott