City Council Meeting Jun. 20, 2011
NOTE: This City Council meeting is canceled. Several members of the City Council will be attending the Colorado Municipal League Conference.
Well that is interesting, especially since the 89th Colorado Municipal League (CML) conference doesn't start until tomorrow. Then we started wondering who we were paying to go to this thing and what was it all about? What is the Colorado Municipal League anyways?
To the right you will see a list of attendees from Arvada, and if you click on the names it will take you to CML's full list for other municipalities. This list raises a few questions. Why are taxpayers paying to send Craig Kocian and Bill Ray to an all expense paid week long conference in Vail when they are both leaving Arvada in a few months? Does this make sense. Furthermore is this something that all of our council members had to attend? Wasn't Marc Williams who serves on CML's Executive Board enough representation from Arvada? Can't these people take notes? Another noteworthy question that this list brings to mind is who is Luanne Williams? Williams... Oh wait a second is that Marc Williams wife? Here is a picture of the happy couple together at a function
So here is the next question, why are the taxpayers paying for Mrs. Williams to spend a week in Vail with her husband at a luxurious resort and attend a municipal conference? Last time I checked she wasn't on city council and didn't work for the city of Arvada anymore. So in asking these questions we started wondering how much this was going to cost the taxpayers. For that we looked on the CML website.
These were the listed hotel prices:
Vail Marriott Mountain Resort & Spa: 800-266-9432; Nightly rates: Hotel room: $164; 2 bedroom owner condo $205; Jr. Timberline suite $225; Timberline suite $299.
The Lion Square Lodge/ Montaneros: 1-800-525-1943 ; Nightly rates: Lodge room $140; 1 bedroom/1 bath condo $169; 1 bedroom + loft $249; 2 bedroom/2 bath condo $275.
Antlers at Vail (to book online, use password and login: CML); 1-888-268-5377; 970-476-2471; groups@antlersvail.com; Nightly rates: Studio and 1 bedroom $159; 2 bedroom/2 bath $247; 3 bedroom/2 bath $289
So we can assume that for five nights lodging Mrs. Williams has cost the taxpayers $1,375 then there are conference attendee fees of $310, there a few other fees we will be paying for as well such as the golf tournament which costs $105, and additional session listed on the CML website for a cost of $69. That means the taxpayers will be paying a grand total estimated at $1,895 for Mr. Williams wife to attend a municipal conference in Vail with him. This is the guy who is going to run for Mayor in Arvada? Is this the type of unnecessary spending we can expect if Williams is elected Mayor? After such inconsideration for the taxpayers Mr. Williams cannot expect impunity. It is therefor the formal recommendation of the ARVADA REPORT that you vote Frie for Mayor. We cannot claim that he is much more responsible, but he did not attend this ostentatious conference, and he certainly didn't take his wife.
Staff at the ARVADA REPORT strongly recomend looking through the conference materials to get a better understanding of how this affects the community:
http://www.cml.org/conference_materials.aspx
Well that is interesting, especially since the 89th Colorado Municipal League (CML) conference doesn't start until tomorrow. Then we started wondering who we were paying to go to this thing and what was it all about? What is the Colorado Municipal League anyways?
To the right you will see a list of attendees from Arvada, and if you click on the names it will take you to CML's full list for other municipalities. This list raises a few questions. Why are taxpayers paying to send Craig Kocian and Bill Ray to an all expense paid week long conference in Vail when they are both leaving Arvada in a few months? Does this make sense. Furthermore is this something that all of our council members had to attend? Wasn't Marc Williams who serves on CML's Executive Board enough representation from Arvada? Can't these people take notes? Another noteworthy question that this list brings to mind is who is Luanne Williams? Williams... Oh wait a second is that Marc Williams wife? Here is a picture of the happy couple together at a function These were the listed hotel prices:
Vail Marriott Mountain Resort & Spa: 800-266-9432; Nightly rates: Hotel room: $164; 2 bedroom owner condo $205; Jr. Timberline suite $225; Timberline suite $299.
The Lion Square Lodge/ Montaneros: 1-800-525-1943 ; Nightly rates: Lodge room $140; 1 bedroom/1 bath condo $169; 1 bedroom + loft $249; 2 bedroom/2 bath condo $275.
Antlers at Vail (to book online, use password and login: CML); 1-888-268-5377; 970-476-2471; groups@antlersvail.com; Nightly rates: Studio and 1 bedroom $159; 2 bedroom/2 bath $247; 3 bedroom/2 bath $289
So we can assume that for five nights lodging Mrs. Williams has cost the taxpayers $1,375 then there are conference attendee fees of $310, there a few other fees we will be paying for as well such as the golf tournament which costs $105, and additional session listed on the CML website for a cost of $69. That means the taxpayers will be paying a grand total estimated at $1,895 for Mr. Williams wife to attend a municipal conference in Vail with him. This is the guy who is going to run for Mayor in Arvada? Is this the type of unnecessary spending we can expect if Williams is elected Mayor? After such inconsideration for the taxpayers Mr. Williams cannot expect impunity. It is therefor the formal recommendation of the ARVADA REPORT that you vote Frie for Mayor. We cannot claim that he is much more responsible, but he did not attend this ostentatious conference, and he certainly didn't take his wife.
Staff at the ARVADA REPORT strongly recomend looking through the conference materials to get a better understanding of how this affects the community:
http://www.cml.org/conference_materials.aspx
Well, assuming that is his wife wouldn't you think that he is going to be sharing a room with her? So the room rate is wrong. What else are you missing? Oh right, the fact that conferences usually have negotiated room rates for conferences. Do you know she is paying for the additional conference sessions and the golf tournament?
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