Open Access Petition Group Told "You Will Not Be On The Agenda"
After gathering 700 signatures, the Open Access Petition group contacted City Clerks office early last week to be placed on the agenda of the upcoming City Council meeting. According to the City’s own website (http://PoplarBluff-mo.gov) any citizen can ask a city staff to be on the agenda.
The Open Access Petition group was told to “come to the citizen’s input portion of the meeting” which is where petitions are to be heard. However, the group maintains that “petitions” of the nature spoken about in the Book of Code for the City of Poplar Bluff, is when a group of citizens are complaining about something and asking the city to write an ordinance to address it in some future meeting. The Open Access Petition group is bringing a completed ordinance and a list of more than 700 signatures of those who want this ordinance passed.
The Petition Coordinators (Barb, Denise, Jeff, Bill & Cindy) will appear before the City Council on June 20th.
i am all for this but i live in doniphan mo there appears to be a huge power play between semo.net and city of poplar bluff . from what i read on the news the city is closed minded on the issue. this will take a huge court battle that will include large lawyer fees. semo needs to take a look at existing customers . the lack of tech support will hurt them $$$$$ wise. i know 2 customers over the week end could not connect to the net through semo.i hate semo lost %26 of the customer base. nut once again this is all about power customers needs 2nd
If anyone believes that Liberals and Conservatives do not really matter in local government, they are mistaken big time!! Take a real close look at what most of this council believes in……………
-See letter below sent to the Attornay Generals office .
—- Original Message —–
From: Ruth Temple
To: attorney.general@ago.mo.gov
Sent: Friday, July 01, 2011 9:11 AM
Subject: Violation of the Sunshine Law by a City Council
Dear Sir,
I would appreciate some effort on behalf of the 700 people who signed a petition to allow Semo .Net on the Agenda. They have violated the Open meeting, and are now saying no matter what they will not be allowed on the agenda. Any american has the right to be treated better than the City Council of Poplar Bluff is treating these people.. Their job is to see that the laws of Missouri are not broken and they are failing miserably. Please read below to see what is really going on.,
Ruth Temple rtemple@semo.net
Sent: Thursday, June 30, 2011 4:50 PM
Subject: City Manager & Mayor Say 700 Signatures Are Not Enough To Be On The Agenda of Next Meeting
> Dear friends,
>
> Pardon the intrusion, but SEMO.net needs you to be aware of something happening on the Open Access front.
>
> Last city council meeting, the Open Access Petition Coordinators (Jeffrey Kanell, Barbara Rexroat, Denise Magruder, Cindy Fuller Perkins) asked how to be included on the upcoming agenda with the petitioned ordinance they had compiled of over 300 Poplar Bluffians and 350 more Butler Countians. The answer was, “you cannot be on the agenda.”
>
> Jeffrey pointed out that the city’s own web site (http://poplarbluff-mo.gov) specifically states that any citizen can request to be on the agenda. He was informed that the City’s web site was incorrect.
>
> We are asking everyone who cares about free enterprise, open access and are anti-big government takeover of the private sector to come and show your presence at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, July 5th at 7pm. You won’t need to speak, but if you want to you are welcomed. We don’t need to be loud or protest-y, just help the City Council know that Poplar Bluff needs to vote on Open Access at the ballot box rather than in the Council Chambers.
>
> City Council meets at City Hall off of Oak Street behind the Public Library.
>HOPE THIS HELPS. RUTH
does this surprise any one